Sitting on an Apple HomePod or HomePod Mini you want to sell or donate? Are you experiencing issues with your smart speaker and need to perform a factory reset? Whatever the reason, there’s more than one way to return your HomePod or HomePod Mini to its factory settings. We cover each of these methods below.
Resetting through the Home app
You’ll first want to grab whichever iOS device you’ve got the Apple Home app loaded onto. Make sure you’re logged into the app with the same Apple ID you used to register your HomePod product during its initial setup. Once you’ve confirmed your credentials are in line, go ahead and launch the Home app.
If you’re using an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, find your HomePod in the queue of available Apple devices, then press and hold the HomePod you’re looking to delete. If you’re performing this step on a Mac desktop, you’ll want to double-click HomePod instead of tapping.
Now (for both mobile and desktop interfaces), scroll down until you see Remove Accessory, then tap or click Remove. Your HomePod will now enter into a factory reset.
Resetting through the HomePod itself
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If you don’t have a phone or computer handy, you can easily reset your HomePod or HomePod Mini with a few device commands. To begin, you’ll first want to unplug your HomePod from the wall. If you’ve got a HomePod Mini, unplug the power adapter. Then (for both speakers), you’ll want to wait 10 seconds. After 10 seconds is up, plug the speaker back in.
Next, wait five seconds, then touch your finger to the top of the HomePod. Press, hold, and wait. A white spinning indicator light should turn red, signaling that your HomePod is about to reset. Siri will then tell you that your HomePod is about to reset. Once you hear three beeps, the process has completed.
To confirm the reset took place, launch your Home app the next time you’re near your phone, then check your available devices to ensure the HomePod in question has been cleared from the list.
Resetting the HomePod Mini with a Mac
If you own the HomePod Mini, you can use the included USB-C connection to factory reset the device with a desktop Mac. Go ahead and connect the standard end of the USB cable to your Mac. Once the connection is made, look for your HomePod in your Mac’s sidebar (it’ll be located under Locations). Select your HomePod, then click Restore HomePod.
Where to sell your HomePod/HomePod Mini
If you’re trying to get rid of your HomePod or HomePod Mini, there are a number of retail outlets and trade-in sites that will give you some cash for your device. Through Target and Walmart, you can get about $40 for a working HomePod. If you want to try and sell the device yourself, you can do so on Swappa or eBay. Because the HomePod Mini is relatively new, most retailers aren’t offering trade-in approximations for the speaker yet. Once it’s been out a bit longer, that’s likely to change.