HomePod software beta can "brick" speakers
HomePod mini users report that installing HomePod software 18.1 beta 2 is causing the devices to crash. This isn't the first example of this problem this year.
HomePod mini on the table: beta testing doesn't always go well.
(Image: Apple)
A recent warning for HomePod mini owners participating in Apple's beta program for developers: The latest beta 2 of the HomePod software 18.1 can "brick" the devices, i.e. make them completely unusable. This is reported by those affected on X. Apple is said to have responded in the meantime and withdrawn the second beta. The HomePod software 18.1, also known internally as audioOS, has reverted back to beta 1.
No longer responsive
The defective devices are no longer accessible from the outside. They no longer respond to operations and no longer appear in the network. In many cases, it was also not possible to restore them via regular channels, as the smart speakers no longer appear in the Finder, where a restore would be possible. In some cases, however, using the Apple Configurator administration application is said to have helped.
It is still unclear why the bricking is happening. If neither a restore via Finder nor via Apple Configurator – is possible in both cases, the HomePod mini is connected to the Mac via USB-C –, only Apple can help. The manufacturer's support team or the Genius Bar in a retail store have other options for trying to revive the device. However, the speaker may also have to be replaced completely if this is no longer possible.
Not the first bricking problem
Apple already had a major bricking problem this fall: iPad Pro models with M4 SoC were taken out of the race as soon as the regular iPadOS 18 software was installed. Here too, Apple reacted by quickly withdrawing the software, but has not yet solved the problem. Apple emphasized that the error had only been detected in a "small number of devices" – It is unclear what exactly caused it.
It may also no longer be possible to restore affected iPads –, partly because the software has since been withdrawn. You currently have to contact Apple's support team to bring the iPad back to life – an extremely annoying fact. The fact that normal users and not just beta testers were affected here makes the incident even more problematic. Data loss may even occur.
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