HomePod 2nd Generation Ghost Touch Issue – Both Devices Have Unresponsive Touch Panels

I am experiencing the exact same issue on my HomePod (2nd Generation) immediately after updating to version 27.2!

Just like your HomePod 1, my top touch panel and volume buttons became completely unresponsive right after the 27.2 update (even though the Siri and AirPlay LED animations still work fine, and "Lock Controls" was verified OFF).

Thinking a factory reset would fix the 27.2 bug, I removed the HomePod from the Home app and my Apple Account. Now my device is trapped in the exact same state as your HomePod 2: it is still online (AirPlay and Siri guest responses work), it didn't factory reset itself, and I cannot perform a manual hard reset (unplugging for 10 seconds and holding the top glass) because the touch surface is completely dead and the initial white boot light doesn't even appear on power-up.

Since both of your units and mine failed the exact same way around the 27.2 release, this is definitely a critical firmware bug locking out the touch digitizer and preventing manual resets.

Hi ramtinsepanji,

Thanks for sharing, sorry you’re facing the same problem. Just to clarify, my touch panels failed months before the 27.2 release, so in my case it started well before this update. I can’t say 27.2 is the cause for me, though the symptoms now look similar: a dead touch panel, Siri still responding but AirPlay not working, and no way to do a manual reset.

Your experience is useful for others, and I’d suggest not removing the HomePod from the Home app or your Apple Account until there is a way to reset it, since you can’t set it up again without the touch surface.

Whether the cause is hardware or firmware, many of us are affected, and Apple should look into this and offer a repair or replacement program. Please also report it to Apple Support with a case number, and use Feedback Assistant if you can.

Thanks

There is no other method of restoring when it’s not showing up in the home app or by the hard reset. A mini can be plugged into a Mac to restore. My gen 2 is not responding to touch either but I can summon Siri on it and play music.

Have you looked on any other Apple devices you have to see if it shows in the home app on those?

Try rebooting the wifi router to see if that does anything.

The “Ghost Touch” issue describes HomePods randomly playing music. You can still factory reset them via the home app by “removing” them Have you tried updating to 27.2? Because you can’t see one in the home app you’ll need to see if you can perform the update using “update all” in Home Settings in the home app, to see if it can find it that way. Use the three dots to access that. If it still can’t find it, try just unplugging for about 10 seconds.

There are some new settings to use in the 27.2 version. I can’t test myself to see what this actually does. Adjust privacy and security settings on HomePod

Thanks for clarifying! Unfortunately, I had already removed the HomePod from my Home app and Apple Account before realizing the top touch/LED assembly was completely dead.

Interestingly, since it hasn't received the remote wipe command yet, it is still connected to my Wi-Fi—AirPlay still works and Siri responds to basic commands (I was even able to toggle VoiceOver via Siri, though the touch surface still doesn't register any taps). At this point, I'm avoiding a full reset so I don't lose AirPlay functionality too, since setup won't complete without the LED/touch panel. Definitely reporting this to Apple Support as well—hopefully Apple acknowledges this widespread hardware/firmware failure on Gen 2 units soon.

Hello Rudegar,

Thanks for the info. I understand the touch panel issue has been reported by many users worldwide, as seen in the linked thread, and that some people found workarounds like changing settings, disconnecting the touch panel, or using a third-party repairer.

But those are only workarounds. They don’t fix a hardware defect that many HomePod (2nd gen) owners are seeing, and in my case both units failed. Apple’s only official option for me is a Rs 36,000 (~$380) replacement, which is too high for a known issue. Apple should offer a lower-cost repair, a goodwill replacement, or a service program for affected users.

• You don’t need touch to work for setting up HomePod. Try restarting by unplugging HomePod for about 15 seconds to see if this resolves the touch issue caused by the 27.2 update.

• I also forgot to tell both of you to force close the Home App on your devices to see if this makes it show up in the home app once you open home app again. I’m getting a mismatch across devices. The MacBook is not syncing with iPad for example.

Thanks for clarifying that yours started before 27.2—that really points toward a broader hardware defect or controller failure with the Gen 2 top touch/LED assembly rather than just a specific software bug.

Unfortunately, I already learned the hard way and removed mine from both the Home app and my Apple Account before realizing it wouldn't trigger a remote wipe and that the touch surface is required to set it back up. The only slight silver lining in my case is that because the remote wipe never went through, mine is still hanging onto my Wi-Fi—so unlike yours, AirPlay still works on mine for now alongside basic Siri commands (I even managed to toggle VoiceOver via Siri, though the touch panel remains completely dead).

I fully agree with your warning to others: definitely do NOT remove the HomePod from the Home app or Apple Account if the top panel dies. I’ll be opening a case with Apple Support and submitting a report through Feedback Assistant as well. Hopefully, with enough reports, Apple launches an official repair or replacement program for the Gen 2 soon

several have repported ghost touch issue

Homepod randomly starts playing. - Apple Community

for some configuration could help

for some physically disconnecting the touch panel was a work around

for others getting some guy who offer repair to work on their homepod was the solution

software update around the time of it happening is likely just random stuff like a black cat crossing the road at the time would be.

Hi Vancouver22,

Thanks for the suggestions. I have already contacted Apple Support, and they tried every possible troubleshooting step with me, but nothing worked.

HomePod 1 still shows in the Home app. I updated it to 27.2 and disabled its touch controls.

HomePod 2 does not show in the Home app at all. Because of that, I can’t update it to 27.2 or disable its touch panel, and I can’t remove it or factory reset it from the app. A manual reset isn’t possible either, since the touch panel is completely unresponsive.

So I’m stuck with a HomePod that I can’t reach by any software method. Is there any other way to reset or recover a HomePod when the touch panel is dead and it doesn’t appear in the Home app?

Thanks