Tell that to the “stable” iOS 18 update for the M4 iPad. This isn’t a beta issue. It’s an Apple issue. They need to fix their QC.
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Apple Pulls HomePod Software 18.1 Beta 2 Following 'Bricking' Complaints
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No, that's why it's called a beta and not a GM.
Alpha - create/introduce new features/
& concepts
Beta - refine those new features amap into the existing code & work out as many glitches/bugs as is possible.
Apple has: MacOS, iOS, iPadOS, VisionProOS, tvOS, WatchOS among others. It's impossible to find every permutation of every possible bug in a beta or alpha. That's why there are subsequent updates to the latest OS's lifecycle - to address such bugs.
I have the original Home pod, the large white one. It was bricked by an iOS update, couldn't reset it - thankfully I had 1 month left on my AppleCare, so I got it replaced. If Apple bricks it again, with an update; that's a $200 device that will be landfill material.
There is a big difference between installing a developer beta vs new OS updates released to the general public.
How can you tell if a HomePod becomes nonfunctional?
I was thinking of getting a new HomePod but with Apple in a downward spiral, I think I need to look at something else. Not to mention that my next phone won't be an iPhone because the displays do a number on my eyes.
Sonos seems to be working hard on the race to the bottom.
What other options do we have for smart speakers and streaming music?
Sonos seems to be working hard on the race to the bottom.
What other options do we have for smart speakers and streaming music?
Yeah that was a fiasco, too! Haha I didn't have any issues, actually, though I know tons of people did. But the home theater features are relatively new, as is Enhance Dialogue.
I didn't know Apple was hiring former Sonos engineers?
Maybe investing in QA instead of stock buybacks woul dbe a good idea.
If it's stuck in a loop saying "Hmm. Something went wrong. Please try again later.", then you know it's non-functional.
If you can't get it to respond, then it's probably working fine, you might not be saying the commands loud enough. If you keep raising your voice it will eventually respond.
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Isn’t all Apple’s software beta these days? Or a hobby how Timmy calls it?
It’s not really a brick in this case, it can be fixed with a full reset, so I stand by my “betas sometimes break 🤷♂️” opinion
I recently participated in an Apple product feedback survey (from Apple) for HomePod mini. I don't think I've ever given such a negative survey as this one. The saddest part is that the device worked relatively well prior to os16. From there it became just a "dumb" audio output and lost all credibility as a smart device and home hub.
It's showing Apple QA is very lazy nowadays. Don't even test that themselves before releasing it for beta testing.
They were trying to pull off a crowdstrike but they weren’t as successful.
Yeah, that tracks. The HomePod team consists of the worst developers at Apple. The HomePod never fails to disappoint.
It’s a completely different company and size now. Their market cap is 8-fold compared to what it was when Jobs left.
Did they brick the Airpods Max as well? Mine just stopped working. Can't connect it anymore. Guess I need to put it in the freezer.
Btw I'm not using beta software
Btw I'm not using beta software
if it were the old Apple before they switched away from Mac being the digital hub, this would've been easy to fix by restoring the firmware via iTunes