[Solved] HomePod mini & Apple TV Default Audio Output Issue

And now i got this message BUT the two HomePod mini still work, very weird

“The Apple TV could not set the HomePod as the default audio output.

Try connecting your devices to a 5 GHz wireless network.

If you only have access to 2.4 GHz networks, make sure your wireless router supports the IP aliasing feature.”

(UPDATE) guys The Problem Reappeared:

• After about 2-3 hours, I noticed that the HomePod mini pair had disconnected from the Apple TV again. I was about to give up, but then I thought, “Maybe I should try one more thing before I throw in the towel.”

• I suspected it was an IP address issue, but how did I know for sure? Well, when I was about to give up—because I had already tried and failed—I decided to change my Xiaomi router to access point mode. I thought I would just set the HomePods as temporary audio output and let it go. But then, I thought, “Maybe one last try, I’ll check the IP addresses.”

• That’s when I discovered something strange. When the Apple TV connects to the HomePods in stereo, the IP address of the two HomePods disappears, and only the Apple TV’s IP changes. In my case, the Apple TV initially had an IP of 192.168.0.150

, and then when it reconnected to the HomePods, it changed to 192.168.0.82. When the connection cut off, the IP addresses of the HomePods came back, and the Apple TV’s IP changed again.

• This was when I thought, “Wait a second, how did it change the IP address?” It struck me that if I gave the Apple TV a fixed IP, there would be no issues with address changes and no conflict. So, I decided to assign a fixed IP address to the Apple TV, which seemed like the right solution to prevent any future problems.

5. The Fix - Static IPs:

• At this point, I had two routers: a main router (which provided the internet) and a Xiaomi router set as an access point.

• I accessed the interface of the main router and set the following static IPs:

• Apple TV: 192.168.0.100

• First HomePod Mini: 192.168.0.101

• Second HomePod Mini: 192.168.0.102

• Important: When setting static IP addresses, they should be within the same dynamic range as your router’s IP. For example, if your router is set to 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.1.31, you should set the IPs for your Apple TV and HomePods in that same range. So if your router is 192.168.1.1, your Apple TV should have something like 192.168.1.80 or 192.168.1.100, and the HomePods could be set to 192.168.1.82 and 192.168.1.83.

• To make the static IP work on your Apple TV:

• Go to the Apple TV settings.

• Select Network and then choose your Wi-Fi network.

• Under IP Address Configuration, select Manual.

• Set the same IP address you entered into your router (192.168.0.100 for Apple TV).

• Set the same subnet mask as your router (, 255.255.255.0).

• Enter your router’s IP address (192.168.0.1) as the Router Address.

• Set the DNS to Manual and enter the router’s IP address as the DNS (192.168.0.1). Same as in your routeur 

• I rebooted the main router, the Xiaomi access point, the Apple TV, and the HomePods.

• After a few minutes, everything was working fine, and the connection remained stable.

6. Additional Adjustments:

• Initially, the HomePods worked stably for a few hours. After that, I updated the Wi-Fi private address on my iPhone to “Renewable” for added security, which I did after four hours when I noticed everything was stable. I thought, “Since it’s working, I’ll make this change on my iPhone for more security.”

• I also planned to change this setting on the Xiaomi router for added security.

What I Learned:

• The issue wasn’t with the HomePods; it was with the Apple TV. When the Apple TV connects to the HomePods in stereo pair, it automatically changes its IP address. I believe this is what causes the connection drop.

• By setting a static IP for the Apple TV and the HomePods, I was able to resolve this issue.

• I now believe that the key to fixing this problem is ensuring both the Apple TV and the HomePods have fixed IPs, preventing any IP changes that could interfere with the connection.

Additional Tip from the Forums:

On the Apple support forums, there’s a user under the pseudonym BGMEEK who suggested a different approach. BGMEEK recommended turning off the “Private Wi-Fi Address” feature on the iPhone, then resetting the HomePods and the Apple TV, and reconfiguring them again with a new private Wi-Fi address via the iPhone. I tried this method, but unfortunately, it didn’t work for me. It might be worth a try for others, but in my case, it didn’t resolve the issue. See the link HomePod problem pairing Apple TV - Apple Community

Conclusion:

Initially, I wasn’t sure what was causing the disconnections. However, after a series of adjustments—especially with the static IPs and the configuration of the two routers—I was able to solve the issue. This solution worked for me, and I believe it will work for others experiencing the same problem. When I think about it now, I don’t think the issue lies with the HomePods or AirPlay. In fact, I think the problem was with the Apple TV itself, where it has some internal issue that causes it to change its IP address when connected to the HomePods. So, the real issue isn’t with the HomePods—it’s the Apple TV.

Yes, you’re probably right! Apple really needs to fix a lot of these bugs with iOS 19 to improve stability across their devices.