Are you entering the correct Apple ID or iCloud password in the Home app on your iPhone or iPad, but it repeatedly fails to authenticate? In this tutorial, we will go over common causes of this issue and provide step-by-step instructions on how to troubleshoot and resolve it so you can get back to using your HomePod and other smart devices.
The symptoms
You’ll be asked to update your iCloud account password in the Home app before you can use your HomePod:
- After you have changed your Apple ID password,
- If it has been a long time since you authenticated your Apple ID password, or
- If Apple thinks there is some anomaly and needs verification.
You could also see a tiny critical warning icon (triangle with an exclamation mark) in the HomePod tile of the Home app. This is normal and does not mean there is any problem with your HomePod.
The problem is, even though you enter your correct Apple ID password, it will not work and say, “Your Apple ID or password used to sign in to iCloud is incorrect.” Other times, it will just keep processing and stay stuck, or it won’t confirm whether the password you typed is right or wrong.
What if you don’t enter your iCloud password?
If you don’t address this problem, you will see “This accessory is unavailable. To control it when you’re away from home, set up a home hub.” In this case, you can’t use your HomePod for almost anything. For example:
- Siri won’t work.
- You can’t set timers, reminders, etc.
- You can’t play music on your HomePod via Apple Music or other online services.
- And you can’t even AirPlay audio to it from your Mac, iPad, or iPhone.
Ways to fix incorrect Apple ID password issues in the Home app
Double-check your Apple ID password
Are you 100% sure you’re entering the correct Apple ID or iCloud password?
To check, go to iCloud.com in any web browser other than Safari. And if you use Safari, don’t log in via Face ID or Touch ID. Tap Use a different Apple ID and manually enter your Apple ID and password.
Were you able to log in successfully? If so, that means you remember your Apple ID password; please move to the next solution. If not, quickly reset your Apple ID password using your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
Quit the Home app and reopen it
When you enter your Apple ID password in the Home app, App Store, or Settings app, you may see an alert that the process was unsuccessful, and the alert message will remain visible.
However, if you force quit the app (like Home) and reopen it, the message will disappear.
Make sure your iPhone or iPad is connected to the internet
Before proceeding further, visit a website in a web browser or play a video in the YouTube app. This will help confirm whether your device is connected to a working Wi-Fi or not. If there are problems with your Wi-Fi, please fix them first.
Quick tip, even if your Wi-Fi works: Please restart your Wi-Fi router and then go to the Home app to enter the Apple ID password.
Turn off your VPN
Is your iPhone, iPad, or Wi-Fi router connected to a VPN? Disable it before entering your Apple ID password inside the Home app.
Restart your iPhone and try again
Often the Apple ID password authentication will fail, not show any confirmation, or stay stuck on a screen due to temporary glitches. One effective way to fix this is by simply turning off your iPhone or iPad and turning it back on.
Once the restart completes, open the Home app > tap the Update iCloud Account Password banner > Enter Password > type your Apple ID password and hit Sign In to authenticate. Once done, this annoying banner will disappear from the Home app, and you can use your HomePod again.
Restart your HomePod
You can restart your HomePod from the Home app, but since it’s having problems, you may not see the usual option to restart it from the app. Therefore, physically unplug the HomePod and plug it back in.
Check Apple’s Apple ID server status
- Go to this official Apple System Status page.
- Look for green dots next to Apple ID, iCloud Account & Sign In, App Store, Find My, HomeKit, and iOS Device Activation.
- If there is a yellow or red shape next to them, that means there is a server issue on Apple’s end, and you’ll have to wait until a fix is implemented. You can’t do anything from your end.
Restore your HomePod
Have you tried everything and still had no luck removing the Update iCloud Account Password error in the Home app? In this case, go ahead and reset your HomePod:
- From the Home app on your iPhone or iPad (which may not work as you continue to see an error in the Home app)
- Using Finder or iTunes on Mac or PC
- Straight from the HomePod
You can follow one of the last two methods to reset and restore your HomePod. Once that’s done, set it up again.
Reset iPhone network settings
Still unable to successfully enter your Apple ID password and get your HomePod to work again? Please reset your iPhone or iPad network settings where you’re using the Home app to authenticate the iCloud password.
Try another device you own
If you can’t successfully use the Home app on one of your devices such as your iPhone, then use the Home app on your iPad or Mac and enter the Apple ID password there. If it works, the error should also automatically go away from the Home app on your iPhone.
Sign out of Apple ID and sign in again
This solution involves completely signing out of your Apple ID or iCloud on your iPhone or iPad and signing back again. After you do this, it should automatically authenticate your HomePod and make the Home app password popup go away.
Delete the Home app and reinstall it
Finally, if nothing helps, delete your Home app and download it again. To do that:
- First, reset the HomePod and remove it from your Home app.
- After that, delete the Home app.
- Now, restart your iPhone and then re-download the Home app.
Caution: If you have just one or a few HomePods added to the Home app, then it shouldn’t be a problem. However, if you have many smart devices set up, such as lights, thermostats, smart doors, etc., it would be a pain to configure them again. So, in this case, we recommend waiting for a few hours and then following the above solutions.
Check out next: Why iPhone keeps asking for your Apple ID password, and how to fix it