Apple withdraws HomePod 18.1 beta 2 after reports of bricking

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iOS

The latest beta test version of HomePod 18.1 has been withdrawn by Apple after multiple reports have surfaced of the devices crashing after install.

White mesh smart speaker with a glowing top, displaying a gradient light pattern in blue and pink hues.
Apple's HomePod mini



Hours after releasing its latest round of developer betas, Apple has reportedly pulled what it calls HomePod Software Version 18.1. As reported in the AppleInsider forums, the update was causing some devices to fail.

"Two HomePod minis bricked after trying to install software 18.1 beta 5," wrote user Jeromec on the AppleInsider forums. "Cannot restore them -- the light goes white, then red, then vanishes instead of continuing with 3 audio beeps -- they don't even show up as USB devices in System Info on my Mac."

Later, the same user reported an update, saying he had been able to use Apple Configurator to restore his HomePod mini pair to version 18.0.

audioOS (HomePod software) 18.1 beta 2 has been pulled, it's back to 18.1b1 now.

-- Nicols Alvarez (@nicolas09F9)



As usual, Apple did not announce that it was withdrawing the update. The news was spotted first by MacRumors.

This pulling of an update comes just a week after Apple similarly withdrew iPadOS 18 updates from selected iPads. Specifically, the then latest update was bricking iPads with the M4 processor.

Apple has not commented on either the iPad or HomePod issues. It's not known when the updates will be released with fixes, nor is it clear whether the issue is solely affecting the HomePod mini, or also the larger HomePod.



Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,598member
    Does there seem to be an unusual amount of Apple firmware issues in the past few weeks, some serious enough to that require them pulled? Maybe it's relatively common and I've just not noticed. At the moment, it's hitting a big range of Apple products.
    edited September 24 dewmebaconstang
  • Reply 2 of 9
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,409member
    gatorguy said:
    Does there seem to be an unusual amount of Apple firmware issues in the past few weeks, some serious enough to that require them pulled? Maybe it's relatively common and I've just not noticed. At the moment, it's hitting a big range of Apple products.

    These are betas for a reason.
    macxpresskiehtanwilliamlondon
  • Reply 3 of 9
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,598member
    mike1 said:
    gatorguy said:
    Does there seem to be an unusual amount of Apple firmware issues in the past few weeks, some serious enough to that require them pulled? Maybe it's relatively common and I've just not noticed. At the moment, it's hitting a big range of Apple products.

    These are betas for a reason.
    It's not just the beta's is it? 

    EDIT: No, it is not only beta's
    edited September 24
  • Reply 4 of 9
    wwinter86wwinter86 Posts: 53member
    Yeah it has bricked my Mini. First time I’ve had a beta do that to be fair 
    baconstang
  • Reply 5 of 9
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,918member
    gatorguy said:
    Does there seem to be an unusual amount of Apple firmware issues in the past few weeks, some serious enough to that require them pulled? Maybe it's relatively common and I've just not noticed. At the moment, it's hitting a big range of Apple products.
    What other firmware issues have there been other than the iPad one? 
    williamlondon
  • Reply 6 of 9
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,598member
    macxpress said:
    gatorguy said:
    Does there seem to be an unusual amount of Apple firmware issues in the past few weeks, some serious enough to that require them pulled? Maybe it's relatively common and I've just not noticed. At the moment, it's hitting a big range of Apple products.
    What other firmware issues have there been other than the iPad one? 
    Aren't there iOS 18 (firmware) touchscreen issues being reported too? Outside of mobile I've been reading of problems introduced with MacOS Sequoia. All this seems to be within the past 30 days. Common or not common?
    ctt_zh
  • Reply 7 of 9
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,822member
    gatorguy said:
    macxpress said:
    gatorguy said:
    Does there seem to be an unusual amount of Apple firmware issues in the past few weeks, some serious enough to that require them pulled? Maybe it's relatively common and I've just not noticed. At the moment, it's hitting a big range of Apple products.
    What other firmware issues have there been other than the iPad one? 
    Aren't there iOS 18 (firmware) touchscreen issues being reported too? Outside of mobile I've been reading of problems introduced with MacOS Sequoia. All this seems to be within the past 30 days. Common or not common?
    In the past year, Android devices have faced several firmware glitches and security vulnerabilities, some of which have been actively exploited:
    1 Security Vulnerabilities: Android updates in 2023 and 2024 have addressed multiple critical vulnerabilities. For example, in November 2023, a major patch fixed 37 issues, including a critical information disclosure bug (CVE-2023-40113) that affected Android 11-13. Other vulnerabilities in Android's system components, including elevation of privilege and denial-of-service bugs, were also fixed (
SecurityWeek
).
    2 Memory Leaks and Exploits: The July 2023 updates addressed three actively exploited vulnerabilities, including a memory leak in the Arm Mali GPU driver (CVE-2023-26083). This bug was part of a more complex exploit chain, which had been used to deliver spyware to certain Samsung devices (
BleepingComputer
).
    3 System and Kernel Issues: Various critical vulnerabilities, such as the remote code execution bug (CVE-2023-21250), have impacted Android's system components, allowing attackers to execute code without user interaction (
BleepingComputer
).
    Android devices have been bricked due to software updates over the past year. Notably, many Google Pixel devices, including the Pixel 6 series, were affected by bricking issues. A January 2024 update caused significant problems for some users, rendering their devices unusable. Affected users experienced issues such as the phone failing to reboot, repeated crashes, or complete inability to use their devices. This problem also occurred in 2023 when a Pixel update introduced bugs related to memory management, forcing some users to factory reset and lose their data.
    williamlondon
  • Reply 8 of 9
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,598member
    MacPro said:
    gatorguy said:
    macxpress said:
    gatorguy said:
    Does there seem to be an unusual amount of Apple firmware issues in the past few weeks, some serious enough to that require them pulled? Maybe it's relatively common and I've just not noticed. At the moment, it's hitting a big range of Apple products.
    What other firmware issues have there been other than the iPad one? 
    Aren't there iOS 18 (firmware) touchscreen issues being reported too? Outside of mobile I've been reading of problems introduced with MacOS Sequoia. All this seems to be within the past 30 days. Common or not common?
    Notably, many Google Pixel devices, including the Pixel 6 series, were affected by bricking issues. A January 2024 update caused significant problems for some users, rendering their devices unusable. Affected users experienced issues such as the phone failing to reboot, repeated crashes, or complete inability to use their devices. This problem also occurred in 2023 when a Pixel update introduced bugs related to memory management, forcing some users to factory reset and lose their data.
    LOL! Whaddabout Google...

    Apple has generally been perceived as being more thorough in their software testing. If that's a mirage just say so. You seem to be saying this is normal for Apple, no real difference from Android? I don't know, which is why I asked the question that you aren't answering:

    "Does there seem to be an unusual amount of Apple firmware issues in the past few weeks, some serious enough to that require them pulled?" Maybe it's normal business-as-usual, nothing to see here.
    edited September 25 muthuk_vanalingamctt_zh
  • Reply 9 of 9
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,418member
    MacPro said:
    gatorguy said:
    macxpress said:
    gatorguy said:
    Does there seem to be an unusual amount of Apple firmware issues in the past few weeks, some serious enough to that require them pulled? Maybe it's relatively common and I've just not noticed. At the moment, it's hitting a big range of Apple products.
    In the past year, Android devices . . .

    This isn't about some platform dick measuring contest. I've never used an Android product and probably never will. Android's issues aren't my concern. Apple's are. I give Android credit where, and hold Apple accountable for. Deflection is not a friend.

    Betas are avoided because I'm just not that adventurous. Kudos to those who are. I only want Apple to figure it out before it becomes a release candidate.
    gatorguymuthuk_vanalingamctt_zhwilliamlondon
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