HomePod software beta could ‘brick’ the speaker | Heise Online

A current warning for HomePod mini owners participating in Apple’s beta program for developers: the latest beta 2 of HomePod software 18.1 could “break” the devices, i.e. make them completely unusable. reports that People affected on X. Apple is said to have now reacted and has another Beta withdrawn. HomePod software 18.1, also called audioOS internally, returns in beta 1.

Advertisement

No longer responsive

The damaged devices can no longer be accessed from the outside. They no longer respond to operations and are not visible on the network. A restore is also through regular channels In many cases this was not possible because the smart speaker no longer appeared in Finder, where a restore would be possible. However, in some cases, the administration application must be used Apple Configurator have helped.

It is still not clear why the bricking is taking place. If neither a restore via Finder nor via Apple Configurator – in both cases the HomePod mini is connected to the Mac via USB-C – is possible, only Apple can help. Help Other options are to start a revival attempt from the manufacturer or a Genius Bar in a store. If this is no longer possible the speaker may even need to be replaced completely.

Kia releases update: Silence at the press of a button

The first problem with bricklaying is not

Apple already faced a major problem this fall: iPad Pro models with the M4 SoC were knocked out of service as soon as the regular iPadOS 18 software was installed. Here, too, Apple reacted by quickly withdrawing the software, but the problem has not been resolved to date. Apple emphasized that the error was found only in a “small number of devices” – it is not clear what exactly caused it.

Even with the affected iPads, a restore may no longer be possible – also because the software has been withdrawn. You currently have to contact Apple Support to bring the iPad back to life – an extremely annoying fact. The fact that general users and not just beta testers were affected makes this incident even more problematic. It can also lead to data loss.

(B.Sc.)