Symptoms: HomePod will power on, but ends up with flashing / blinking volume lights, or boot loops. Won't factory reset with traditional methods.

Root Cause: Many are caused by failed software, or failed / interrupted software update. Some are hardware issues, usually on the logic board, usually the NAND or it's BGA. In rare cases it is caused by other faulty hardware, like physical damage to the display. It is typically not possible to tell if yours is h/w or s/w without connecting to it via USB and attempting to restore.

Hardware Repair: The most common hardware-related cause is the NAND's BGA on the logic board. While this is a fairly intensive repair, it can be reballed with an iPhone 6 NAND stencil, since they are identical. No way known currently to reprogram a new NAND chip if your old one dies.
Repair video coming soon!

Software Repair: You will need to download the latest .ipsw, fashion USB access to your HomePod, and restore with specific software tools.

The scripts / tools to accomplish this are FREE to use and linked below, do not pay anyone for them!

18.1 IPSW || Restore Guide || Live Demo || Print Your Own Adapter || Buy My USB Adapter
Check back for updates as old versions become unsigned, and thus, unrestorable!


Credit is due to tihmstar and David Ryskalczyk for making this happen! All I did was provide a bricked pod, then test, and document their process. Consider donating to them, especially if you've successfully restored your HomePod.
tihmstar's github || tihmstar's patreon || tihmstar's 3d printable adapter

USB Pinout

Symptoms: No power, no lights, and no response. Power draw at the outlet will typically be around 2-10 Watts. If left plugged in for some time, the side of the HomePod may feel slightly warmer.

Diagnosis: Diode is located on the amplifier board. Use a multimeter in continuity test mode to test if diode is shorted by placing one probe onto the larger pin of the diode, and the other probe on one of the two smaller pins of the diode. If meter shows it's shorted, move probe from first small pin to other small pin. If you still see a short, remove the diode and test with the diode off the board. If just the diode shows shorted and not the board, replace the diode.

If your diode tests OK, check for less-common no power issues.

Repair: Replace shorted diode or any diode with date code 1746k-1748k with a newer date and part number PDS560-13, PDS560-13Q, PDS760-13, or any other 60v 5a schottky barrier diode of similar specs to permanently repair Video guide available on YouTube.

Root Cause: Diodes manufactured between week 46 and week 48 of 2017 (date code 1746k-1748k) have apparent QA issues with incredibly high failure rates. No other date codes have been found to fail, despite a wider date range used. Apple used a large date range of diodes during manufacturing and there is no correlation to a diode's date code and a HomePod's serial number, so there is no way of telling what diode your homepod has without disassembly.

All first-generation HomePods, whether factory-new, factory "refurbished", or out of warranty replacements, will have the same chance of having this diode. Second generation HomePods have a bigger, newer diode and won't have this same failure.

Diode Location Inside HomePod

Diode Location On Removed Amp Board

Diode Date Code

Diode: PDS560-13. Can also use PDS760Q-13

Symptoms: Very loud popping, lack of bass, and / or a loud buzzing sound followed by a restart, AKA "Death Farts". See below for sound samples to compare. Not to be confused with software / wifi issues where music crackles and becomes delayed.

Diagnosis: 1: Remove the subwoofer and place it to the side, carefully reconnect everything and power on the HomePod.

2: With the HomePod powered on, not in standby but not playing anything, and subwoofer connected, measure the DC voltage with a multimeter from the subwoofer speaker terminals. You can probe with the pads under where the subwoofer cable goes into the subwoofer, see Figure 1 below.

TIP: Polarity does not matter when measuring DC offset, you are simply looking for how far from 0mV you are. The warmer these capacitors get when they have failed, the worse they filter DC voltage, so be sure to measure for at least a few seconds and watch for any significant growth in DC offset beyond tolerance.

The amp IC's input is rated for up to +/-18mV DC, which means up to +/-200mV DC can be seen at the subwoofer. More than this is what triggers the amp to "Death Fart", can cause damage to components, and should warrant replacing the DC filters, so we recommend a more aggressive 50mV maximum tolerance seen at the subwoofer.

Repair: There are four capacitors that filter this DC in the audio signal before it's amplified and sent to the speaker. They are located on the amplifier board, between the DAC and AMP chips. If you measured a significant amount of DC, you need to replace them with new capacitors of 10uF, size 1206, X7R, 5-10%, rated for 25v or better. I have been using GMK316AB7106KL-TR. I have a repair video replacing these capacitors on YouTube.

There is a big black resistor on the amp next to the subwoofer connector you should also inspect...on occasion I have found these to be damaged when there are Death Farts. It is a 10Ohm, 1Watt, 1% Tolerance, 200V rated, 1218 size resistor, and can be replaced with part number RCL121810R0FKEK. It's resistance can be measured while still installed on the board to confirm.

You will also want to inspect your subwoofer speaker for damage to the voice coil from too much DC, see the next Common Issue below for more detail on that.

Root Cause: MLCC capacitors naturally decay over time and lose their effectiveness at filtering DC voltage, and this is exacerbated the warmer they are. High quality capacitors used properly should last many years, but eventually all will still need reconditioned or replaced again. I can only speculate the ones used in HomePods have QA issues and / or the amp doesn't have a great design to account for primary filter failure.

The amplifier inside the HomePod turns itself off after ~10 minutes of inactivity. Any activity or percieved "Hey Siri" trigger will turn the amp back on. During the change in power, there may be a popping sound. This popping sound comes from DC voltage changes being heard in the speaker. It's fine and normal for a small temporary DC spike when the amp turns on or off, resulting in a pop. It's also hard to tell the difference between that and a pop that comes from a dangerous constant DC offset that is growing over time. It's usually OK to ignore any popping issues if that's all it does. Typically HomePods will Death Fart to indicate it's enough of a problem, at which point you can and should pursue repairs.

How Did I Figure This Out? At first, it was believed that death farts were caused by a failing amplifier IC that powers the subwoofer's audio signal. It was also believed that this amp IC was propietary and irreplacable. Eventually, I found the family of ICs it was based on, along with suitable replacements and even OEM replacements. This didn't fix the issue! Researching DC Offset more, I learned that most class D audio amplifiers have DC Offset and it must be filtered somehow, usually with ceramic capacitors. The more progressed their failure, the worse they are at filtering DC Offset the hotter they are too! This was my lucky break. All I had to do was pointmy heat gun at various areas of the amp until I saw a sudden spike in my DC Offset readings, and voila, filters found! With the first-half of the battle won, the next is figuring out what to replace them with. Since these are filtering DC voltage down to less than a couple mV, it's critical to pick the right replacements and not just match the capacitance. I once again got very lucky, when researching any products that used the same family of amp IC for schematics, the manufacturer themselves have an evaluation amp board with schematics published! Boom. 10uF, rated X7R, 10% tolerance, but only 16 volts?? That seemed wrong. For the voltage, I see at least 20-22v across these caps while installed and operating on the amp, so perhaps this may be contributing to premature failure. This is why I decided to use 35v replacements.

I have a livestream of a repair where it needed all new capacitors, resistor, and subwoofer here.

Subwoofer Probe Points

Testing for DC Offset

Capacitors Location On Amp Board

Capacitors (x4): 10uF, size 1206, X7R, 5-10%, rated for 25v or better

Blown Resistor on Amp Board

Resistor: 10Ohm, 1Watt, 1% Tolerance, 200V rated, size 1218

Symptoms: May include low, missing, or dirty sounding bass, clicking, or ticking sounds.

Diagnosis: Two easy tests to tell if your subwoofer speaker is bad;

1: Gently push the speaker straight in, not too much, and release a few times; This should feel perfectly smooth, and make no sound, otherwise your speaker is almost certainly dead.

2: Inspect the condition of the voice coil through the hole in the side of the subwoofer speaker basket; A vibrant, uniform copper color is a sign of a healthy voice coil!

If your subwoofer is damaged, it is likely from DC Offset, which should also be diagnosed per the Common Issue above.

Repair: I'm not aware of any off the shelf replacement speakers, you will likely need to source one from another broken homepod. Be sure you diagnose and repair any DC Offset before replacing your subwoofer.

Root Cause: Most often a result of too much DC Offset! Sometimes they can also just fail on their own eventually, but it is rare.

Good Voice Coil

Burned Voice Coil

Voice Coil Inspection Port on Woofer

Do the Doof Test

Symptoms: No Bass whatsoever.

Diagnosis:On a few no bass amp repairs, I've found the same component shorted out, see photo below.

Repair: Check if you have the same shorted capacitor, and if so, replace it with 22uF, 0802, 25v (or greater), 10%, X5R capacitor. These are what I use.

Root Cause: Unknown.

WHO WEARS SHORT SHORTS

Capacitor: 22uF, size 0802, 25v (or greater), 10%, X5R

Symptoms: No Bass whatsoever.

Diagnosis:On a few no bass amp repairs, I've found a few other components shorted out at the same time, see photo below.

Repair: Check if you have the same short, and if so, replace shorted 0.1uF size 1206 capacitor, and IC. The circled IC is a mosfet, part number DMG1029SVQ-7. See datasheet for mosfet specs. Replacement part numbers to come soon.

Root Cause: Unknown.

I WEAR SHORT SHORTS

Capacitor: 0.1uF, size 1206

Mosfet: DMG1029SVQ-7

Symptoms: It's rare for the amp IC to be the source of any problems, unless it is obviously damaged, you should first diagnose for other issues described above.

Diagnosis: Amp IC is located on the bottom side of the amp board. The amp IC may or may not have obvious visual damage and there is no great way to diagnose without replacing it. HomePods will power on with the amp IC removed! Do not be fooled by the PIN1 identifier mark in the bottom left corner of the chip.

Repair: The OEM amp IC (part number 98-0431) is available on Aliexpress for a limited time. Part number IR4312M is available from multiple component sellers and is also a suitable alternative, but is being discontinued.

Root Cause: The amp IC can fail on it's own, or if it's subject to too much DC voltage as a result of failing capacitors. More info on that in the DC Offset Common Issue above!

Amp IC Location on Amp Board

A Clearly Dead Amp IC

Amp IC Pin 1 Identifier

OEM Part: 98-0431 (can also replace with IR4312M)

Symptoms: HomePod may or may not be working fine. You may hear rattling when you shake it, or have touch / display issues, even making it appear that the HomePod isn't powering on or only briefly powers on and bootloops.

Diagnosis: For rattling / dirty sounding bass, check that your subwoofer is not bent and properly sealed. Pull your logic board out and check for broken loose plastic. You can try to glue or plastic weld the broken parts back together, or replace the top basket entirely. Thoroughly inspect logic cable, display cable, and connectors for any damage.

Repair: Not recommended to ignore this otherwise the logic board can shift enough to push the display cable into the frame and cut into it, causing weird power / display / touch issues.

Root Cause: Usually this is from some of the frame holding the logic board breaking off as a result of drop damage. Ensure you pack your Pod properly whenever shipping it!

Broken Plastic From logic Board Frame

Display Cable Cut From Board Shift

Damaged or improperly reinstalled ribbon cables can cause no sound, no power, boot loops, and more.

Damage: Thoroughly inspect the entire ribbon cable for any tears, cracks, or other damage. This cable is commonly damaged from rough handling when disconnecting the logic board, where the end of the cable connecting to the logic board will crack / tear. Another common mistake is accidentally damaging the ribbon cable while trying to pry the top basket off.

Improper Installation: The most common mistake made when reassembling your HomePod is an incorrect installation of the main ribbon cable. On the amplifier board connector, the locked position will actually look open, and unlocked actually looks closed! Verify you have properly locked the cable in by pressing the locking clip down, and that the white line on the cable is level with the top of the connector! Improper installation may lead to permanent damage resulting in no sound or power. I've even done this once myself and lost both the amp and logic board's sound, and have yet to figure out how to repair it.

Torn Cable From Pulling on Logic Board

Damaged Cable from Prying Top Basket

Unlocked, Crooked Cable

Locked, Level Cable

Don't Do This!

Do This!

If you are attempting your own repairs and need help identifying a particular part that is damaged / lost, feel free to ask!

The most commonly lost part is pictured below. You NEED it for the HomePod to power on! It is a 0.1uF Size 0402 Capacitor.

0.1uF Size 0402 Capacitor

Symptoms: No power, no lights, and no response. Power draw at the outlet will be 0 Watts.

Diagnosis: Fuse is located on the underside of the power supply board. EU/UK power plugs also have a fuse in the power cable. Use multimeter in continuity mode to test if fuse was blown open.

Repair: If fuse is blown you should replace it with another "T3.15AH250V" fuse.

Root Cause: The fuse will blow as a result of a surge from the AC power source. A quality surge protector should help prevent this. Power strips alone provide no protection.

Fuse Location On Power Supply

Probe Points While Installed

Symptoms: No power, no lights, and no response. Power draw at the outlet may be a few Watts. You may hear a quiet ticking / squealing sound from the logic board. Logic board may start to warm up.

Diagnosis: I have only seen two HomePods with No Power caused by this...in both cases, there was a shorted capacitor on the logic board. Both logic boards shorts were in different locations. You should be able to locate them with traditional short-finding methods like a thermal camera or applying flux or alcohol to the board and looking for smoke or bubbles.

Repair: Replace any shorted components! Since there are no schematics, the exact replacement components are unknown. You can harvest them from a bricked logic board, or ask me to check with a parts board! I have a brief repair video showing diagnosis and repair for one on YouTube.

Root Cause: Given that I've only seen this issue twice, both times from different shorts on the logic board, I'm guessing this is simply a case of capacitors just going bad. It happens.

Bad Cap Location on One Logic Board

Flux Smokes When Applied to Shorted Cap

Symptoms: No power, no lights, and no response. Power draw at the outlet may be a few Watts. SB Diode will NOT show shorted! TPS54560 will usually show obvious damage.

Diagnosis: Check for shorst pictured below.

Repair: Replace any shorted components! Avneesh is credited with helping me find the cause of this one during a Youtube Livestream. I do not know the part # / specs yet, I had to pull one off a parts board.

Root Cause: Unknown.

Shorted!

Symptoms: I've seen damaged displays cause differing symptoms ranging from no power at all, to flickering or boot loops, to flickering volume buttons.

Diagnosis: Thoroughly inspect the display for any damage, especially around the LED PCB on the backside. It's common when a HomePod is dropped for the display to get smashed in and start separating as pictured below. Sometimes damage is visually undetectable and you will need to sanity check with known good parts.

Repair: Damage like this usually warrants replacing the whole display.

Root Cause: Usually from being dropped. They don't just break like this by themselves

PCB for LEDs coming off

...

Symptoms: Similar to the symptoms from a damaged display. A damaged mic board can also obviously cause issues with voice commands not working.

Diagnosis: Thoroughly inspect the mic board for any damage, especially around the chip pictured below.

Repair: Replace mic board. Unsure what part # the chip pictured below is...

Root Cause: Usually damage from not being careful with your tools while working on your pod.

What the mic board should look like

That one .gif of michael scott yelling "NO"

Unidentified Chip

Symptoms: Powers on, but there's no sound from any of the speakers.

Diagnosis: If you did your own repairs and suddenly no longer have sound, suspect improper ribbon cable installation, accidental damage, or a short / debris on the amp. On one occasion I found the main amp controller had failed. The letters on the "STM32L051C8T7" chip were unevenly worn, note however this isn't always a reliable way to judge condition.

Repair: "STM32L051C8T7" is available from AliExpress, but we're currently unsure if it needs to be reprogrammed! It's available here. Currently on backorder from mouser and digikey.

Root Cause: Unknown. Pretty rare for the controller to die anyways.

Controller Location on Amp Board

Symptoms: Powers up and briefly stays on fine, but then makes a loud POP and restarts. Not the same as death farts...

Diagnosis: Inspect amp near cooling pad for damaged / missing resistor

Repair: Either resistor can be replaced with a 10k Ohm resistor (thank you Omanyd#1538) size SMD 0201 (thank you myxomatosis #1766).

Root Cause: Seems like another QA issue?

Where they at

MISSING