YouTuber hacks first-gen HomePod’s hidden debug port to carry USB audio
A YouTube repair specialist known as “NicsFix” has discovered a surprising use for the debug port on first-generation HomePods. By connecting a custom cable to the hidden port, the HomePod can be used as a direct speaker for a Mac, even if the device’s Wi-Fi chip is damaged.
NicsFix demonstrated this hack in a recent video, showcasing a HomePod with a faulty Wi-Fi chip that was rendered unusable on a Wi-Fi network. When a custom cable was plugged into the debug port and the USB end was connected to a Mac, the HomePod was recognized as a USB speaker.
Charles Martin for AppleInsider:
The test HomePod’s other components worked fine, but the Wi-Fi chip was unrepairable unless one could source a replacement. Because the USB connection appeared to allow the HomePod to be used as a speaker, Nic experimented further.
He found that Airfoil, an app made by Rogue Amoeba, could be used to pipe the same Mac sound source to multiple functioning AirPods along with the one connected by USB. Nic used a leftover speaker grill from another disassembled HomePod for a makeshift stand that raised the HomePod up sufficiently so that the debug port and cable on the bottom weren’t obstructed.
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