In this tutorial, we’ll explain why your iPhone displays a full-screen Now Playing popup when it’s near your HomePod and how to disable it if it disrupts your ongoing music playback.
A Handoff feature lets you bring your iOS device near your HomePod or HomePod mini and seamlessly transfer the call or what’s playing on your phone to the Siri smart speakers. It works with Apple Music and other apps like Spotify, YouTube, and YouTube Music. However, this feature can occasionally become inconvenient.
The problem
If your HomePod is on your desk or bedside table, even slight movements of your iPhone might trigger the Handoff screen, disrupting your workflow. Worse, getting too close could transfer playback from your iPhone or AirPods to the HomePod unintentionally.
Secondly, even when nothing is playing on your iPhone, and it comes in close proximity to your HomePod, a full-screen Home app interface will slide up on your iPhone, thus blocking what you’re currently doing.
And finally, on some occasions, after the music playback is unintentionally transferred from your iPhone to your HomePod, moving it back to your iPhone or AirPods may freeze the Music app, showing you a gray screen like the one you see below. It can be fixed only after you force quit the Music app or restart your iPhone.
To avoid the above problems, here’s how to turn off the Handoff feature between iPhone and HomePod. Note that this isn’t available on iPad or Mac.
Stop playback transfer from iPhone to HomePod when you bring them near
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Select General.
- Tap AirPlay & Continuity or AirPlay and Handoff.
- Now turn off Transfer to HomePod.
Once this is done, you can freely move or place your iPhone near or on top of your HomePod without triggering the AirPlay audio transfer screen or moving playback from your phone to the HomePod.
Currently, there’s no option to disable this feature for specific HomePods linked to your Apple account.
Turn off Automatic AirPlay
Your iPhone and iPad can learn your preferences and automatically connect to nearby AirPlay speakers and TVs when you play content from apps you frequently use with AirPlay. If you want to manage this behavior, follow these simple steps.
- Open iPhone or iPad Settings.
- Go to General and tap AirPlay & Continuity.
- Tap Automatically AirPlay and choose Never or Ask.
More HomePod tips: