It’s always nice to test the betas of a future update, we benefit from the new features before everyone else and we can even report bugs directly to Apple, which allows us to contribute to the progress of an update. However, betas are also double-edged, everything can go very well, just as everything can suddenly turn into a nightmare to the point of making a device completely unusable. This is exactly what users of the second beta of HomePod OS 18.1 are experiencing!
Beta 2 Makes HomePod Nonfunctional
A major blow for developers who installed the second beta of HomePod OS 18.1, many testimonies on X mention that the famous connected speaker becomes completely unusable. As some testimonies explain, once beta 2 is installed, the HomePod can work for a few minutes and then it becomes nothing: it no longer responds to touches on the top and even less to voice interactions “Siri” or “Hey Siri”.
The only solution that impacted users have found is to restore the HomePod with the Apple Configurator application available on macOS.
Following the discovery of this major bug that makes HomePods that have installed beta 2 of OS 18.1 completely unusable, Apple has taken the decision to remove the beta from its servers, which instantly interrupts the download of the beta.
Apple is expected to release a new version of HomePod OS 18.1 beta 2 soon, but the company must first find out with its developers what happened to cause HomePods that installed the beta to stop working!
Whether it’s on the iPhone, iPad, Mac or HomePod, installing a beta is always a risk, because it can hamper the user experience or even make the device completely unusable. In the case of the HomePod, this situation is not extremely serious, because there is no saved data, but in the case of an iPhone or a Mac for example, all recent data can be lost if the user has not made a backup before installing the beta.
HomePod OS 18, a light but interesting update
HomePod OS 18 brought several new features to users. First, the SharePlay feature allows multiple users to control the music playing on the HomePod via Apple Music, which gives guests the ability to contribute to the playlist and manage playback directly from their devices. Second, support for AirPlay with Dolby Atmos spatial audio enhances the sound experience, making streaming music or videos even more immersive.
Another important new feature is the ability to manually choose a Home Hub for HomeKit, which allows for greater control over home automation connections, especially for those who own multiple HomePods or Apple TVs.
