Interesting... My Homepod was stuck for (5) hours on the "downloading" message and was not responsive. Even after a power kill, it would continue to "hang". I was sure that it was bricked. However, now that Apple pulled the update, everything is working fine again. Unit stayed at 12.4 FW.
This sounds like two problems. Something that causes a long update process and/or people are being impatient, and a fault in the reset process.
For the second thing, that’s not completely surprising. Rebooting during an incomplete OS update is inherently going to be a dicey prospect. Starting up a computer without a complete OS has a high probability of failure. Presumably there’s some design to have the device revert to a ‘safe mode’ that would allow for a fresh download and complete OS re-build, but if an abort/reset happens at the wrong time, it might to be able to reach the safe mode. The modified Apple restart advice regarding 13.2 suggests whatever the problem is, it hits at a point when restarting won’t get to that safe mode.
I’m still wondering how widespread the issue actually is. It’s obviously not zero, but this board isn’t stacked up with people who have bricked HomePods, so it seems possible the issue may be somewhat limited.
I bet many did abort and restart in frustration and you are right that can be a very bad idea. I did notice the 'update' seemed to be taking forever and I was luckily going out on errands so I just forget about it and several hours later the Application on the iPhone had seemingly finished so I assumed it had succeeded. I now suspect it had actually timed out.
I had mine bricked, and I can definitely say that the update had completed before I reset it. The Home app on my phone showed it as "Updating" during the update. Once it was done, that cleared away and I was able to ask Siri to do things on the HomePod. The problem is that my Siri requests would never work. She'd just say, "hmm... this is taking a while... please stand by..." and then eventually time out. I tried that a number of times before I finally decided to reset it.
If I recall from experience, "hmm... this is taking a while... please stand by..." is a Siri response when there are networking issues. I wonder if there's a way to just reset the wifi info in the HomePod.
I’ve been in Dubai for three days and just landed at home. I had automatic updates enabled so praying I don’t get home to a bricked HomePod - especially as we don’t have apple stores in Kuwait.....
Just saying my 2 HomePods were updated after phone and iPad and Apple TV were updated first, nearly a gig down load which took a while and all was complete. No restarted req it just works. By the way handoff is a nifty feature.
Update: Just returned from the Apple store where they gave me a new unit. Setting it up, it looks like it wants to install 12.4. I haven't done it yet. Has anyone had success?
Update: Just returned from the Apple store where they gave me a new unit. Setting it up, it looks like it wants to install 12.4. I haven't done it yet. Has anyone had success?
12.4 is fine. It's not the upgrade mechanism that's the issue. It's the 13.1 code.
Any word from Apple on when they foresee to issue a fix. I have the 13.2 version downloaded but not installed (I was lucky to switch off the automatic updates just in time) so everything still works fine under the previous version. Wonder if I will have to get rid of the previous download before being able to download the corrected version ... if so, how would you do that ?
I've unfortunately come around to realizing that there is a either a festering rot spreading inside Apple's current software process or they've outgrown their ability to properly support their customer base.
The first is a little dated, but perhaps of related interest: macperformanceguide.com/AppleCoreRot-intro.html macperformanceguide.com/blog/2019/20191008_1200-macOS-Catalina.html
On a positive my first experience with tvOS 13.2 has been as good as it gets so far...
Thanks for the links! I totally agree with the premise of those articles but I’m not jumping to any conclusions about why Apple seems to be backsliding on software quality, stability, and robustness. I simply don’t have visibility into Apple's internal workings inside Apple’s software development organization. I can speculate based on seeing similar circumstances in other software development organizations that I’m intimately familiar with and I do see similarities and a similar stench developing.
The impact of scale cannot be overlooked. Apple's software quality process may not have suddenly gotten worse. It could be a case where the inefficiencies and cracks that were tolerable a few years ago with a narrower product line, fewer customers, and a shorter legacy support tail are absolutely crushing today. Everyone loves bigger numbers when it comes to profitability, market share, and customer base. However when you’re bringing the types of and complexity of products that Apple is building to market you’d better be tightening up your quality processes, being even more efficient and effective with product support, driving out variation, and continuously improving across all your business processes - not simply your software development process.
Every system has a primary constraint that establishes its performance ceiling. In the early 1990s Microsoft/Bill Gates realized that security was its primary constraint and went after that constraint head-on. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t completely eliminated, and it’s still a serious and evolving concern, but nobody in the software business would deny that Microsoft has made huge improvements in the area of security. As much as we hate the latest series of software quality hiccups from Apple it’s unlikely that software quality is the primary constraint for Apple. But if I was Craig or Tim I’d be giving the entire software development process from top to bottom a lot more attention.
By the way, If I had to speculate about Apple’s primary constraint I’d say it’s human capital/resources, and more specifically, acquiring the critical mass of talent needed to go after more of the things that they already know they need to go after. They have tons of cash and financial capital, no lack of actionable IP to leverage, own the most profitable parts of the market segments they play in, and an enviable level of customer loyalty. They simply cannot get the right people in the needed quantities to move any faster than they are already moving. Let’s just hope these recurring software quality issues don’t become the primary constraint. That would upset the whole damn Apple cart.
Any word from Apple on when they foresee to issue a fix. I have the 13.2 version downloaded but not installed (I was lucky to switch off the automatic updates just in time) so everything still works fine under the previous version. Wonder if I will have to get rid of the previous download before being able to download the corrected version ... if so, how would you do that ?
I have finally managed to rid the iPad Pro (which uses master account for entire HomeKit and that HomePod is also linked to) of the downloaded HomePod 13.2 firmware. Here are the steps I did though not sure which exact one did the trick (on assumption the Auto Update has already been disabled):
Check and make sure the HomePod is still on 12.4 (this is shown on the HomePod properties/details menu right at the bottom of the long page).
Power down the HomePod.
On iPad Pro (which is my HomePad to control HomeKit as well as some other home automation, infrastructure, etc), click the install and let it run awhile. Nothing happens cause HomePod is powered off, so no harm there.
On iPad Pro, shut it down via the General settings.
Once iPad Pro powered down, power up the HomePod and check to make sure it is functioning as per normal (since it is still on 12.4).
Power up iPad Pro, go to Home app. Now the Software Update badge is gone. Going into Software Update and it will not show any 13.2 update, just stating HomePod is up to date at 12.4.
Is there a way to tell if the HomePods updated or not? I haven't looked but I am guessing there is a way to see the HomePods' install version on the iPhone or Mac somewhere?
On your phone or iPad in the Home app. Click the home button at the top left and then click on Software Updates. It will then show you. You can turn off "Install Updates Automatically" while you are there.
Cheers! It states "Your HomePod software is up to date: iOS 12.4." So my attempt did fail thank heavens.
Given the latest is actually 13.2 perhaps Apple has removed that update temporarily after this debacle.
I really need to keep up more on iOS. I never saw that tiny home icon in the top left! Haha! I am a macOS user 24/7 and a full-frame photographer ... my iPhone is for phone calls /car play and my iPad is for Netflix, quaint eh?
Any word from Apple as to when the "good" 13.2 release will be?
Not yet.
I'd say a minimum of a week. The HP isn't a flagship product so the general public aren't hankering after the update (even if we are), and they've got to get some bricked units back to HQ, find out what caused it, fix it, test it, then roll it out. iOS is jammed full of diagnostic software so the diagnosis and fix probably won't take long, but they'll want to be sure it doesn't happen again so there's be an extended testing period. All this because Apple won't put a lightning/USB connector on the damn thing.
I think there are multiple software issues: HomeKit 13.2 and HomePod 13.2. The reason being, my HomePods (5 of them) are no longer responding to HomeKit after updating my iPad Pro and iPhone to13.2 (all HomePods are on v12.4 version - no Auto-update). The individual HomePod's do respond to the remote Music Player controls on my iPad Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. That would indicated to me that the HomePod's are fine but that HomeKit 13.2 is not healthy along with the HomePod 13.2 software.
I think there are multiple software issues: HomeKit 13.2 and HomePod 13.2. The reason being, my HomePods (5 of them) are no longer responding to HomeKit after updating my iPad Pro and iPhone to13.2 (all HomePods are on v12.4 version - no Auto-update). The individual HomePod's do respond to the remote Music Player controls on my iPad Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. That would indicated to me that the HomePod's are fine but that HomeKit 13.2 is not healthy along with the HomePod 13.2 software.
My three HomePods on 12.4 and my HomeKit 13.2 install seems to be fine.
I think there are multiple software issues: HomeKit 13.2 and HomePod 13.2. The reason being, my HomePods (5 of them) are no longer responding to HomeKit after updating my iPad Pro and iPhone to13.2 (all HomePods are on v12.4 version - no Auto-update). The individual HomePod's do respond to the remote Music Player controls on my iPad Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. That would indicated to me that the HomePod's are fine but that HomeKit 13.2 is not healthy along with the HomePod 13.2 software.
My three HomePods on 12.4 and my HomeKit 13.2 install seems to be fine.
And isn't that what makes problems like this so difficult to find. If the bug killed every installation the same way it would be relatively easy to find and fix.
Any word from Apple as to when the "good" 13.2 release will be?
Not yet.
I'd say a minimum of a week. The HP isn't a flagship product so the general public aren't hankering after the update (even if we are), and they've got to get some bricked units back to HQ, find out what caused it, fix it, test it, then roll it out. iOS is jammed full of diagnostic software so the diagnosis and fix probably won't take long, but they'll want to be sure it doesn't happen again so there's be an extended testing period. All this because Apple won't put a lightning/USB connector on the damn thing.
A week... or maybe about six hours. But you know. With all that pressure from Amazon, shipping times are getting quicker for a lot of things.
Comments
Does those bricked HomePod run as HomeKit and has 3rd party HomeKit devices (e.g. Philips Hue, Eve) connected to it?
Every system has a primary constraint that establishes its performance ceiling. In the early 1990s Microsoft/Bill Gates realized that security was its primary constraint and went after that constraint head-on. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t completely eliminated, and it’s still a serious and evolving concern, but nobody in the software business would deny that Microsoft has made huge improvements in the area of security. As much as we hate the latest series of software quality hiccups from Apple it’s unlikely that software quality is the primary constraint for Apple. But if I was Craig or Tim I’d be giving the entire software development process from top to bottom a lot more attention.
Given the latest is actually 13.2 perhaps Apple has removed that update temporarily after this debacle.
I really need to keep up more on iOS. I never saw that tiny home icon in the top left! Haha! I am a macOS user 24/7 and a full-frame photographer ... my iPhone is for phone calls /car play and my iPad is for Netflix, quaint eh?