Apple Releases New 13.4.8 Software for HomePod

[furbzv1]

HomePods are one of those things that people either really like or really hate! I have two and I've probably only gotten the one sec problem a few months back(or was that last year) when the HomePods update bricked a bunch of them. Aside from that, they are great and I use them every day.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Yes you old dog... I’m gonna be 40 in october too.

No complains about the sound quality! I love the sound from the HomePds. I never saw anything at this size, in this form factor and with this functionality that even comes close.

Connection issues - never thought about it that it can be Siri to servers. I am wondering though why am I not experiencing these on the iPhone or iPad?

Cheers mate, lots oh health and may our 40s represent the first third of our life!

intere as I’ve not experienced sori issues on iPhone or Apple Watch either. I hadn’t even given it a thought until you mentioned it. Sounds silly but now I’m wondering if Siri traffic is potentially siloed per device segment (Mac, Watch, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS). Now I’m heavily curious on this.

musca health and life happiness and longevity to you ad well man! The secret: have much fun, eat mostly well, live lots - even if kit reciprocated, and be great fun for anything you have in this life. Treat others well and it’ll be reciprocated making this third leg that much more refreshing and stress free.

 

[DWSALTAZ]

Contemplating buying a homepod but not sure whether to hold out until September in case Apple releases an updated model - any insight would be appreciated

There must be something going on, all the big retail electronics stores in my area of Australia - do not have them in store. But you can order online from some at a huge $200AU discount. *Looks like a run out of available stock is now on.
Hopefully it is not another Apple iPod HiFi drop the ball completely situation. (I have one of those sitting in the corner - not plugged in - Ha).

 

[l3it3r]

I was wondering why audio was stuttering last night on my Bedroom's stereo pair. Opened Home and saw that they were downloading the update.. waited a few minutes and they were back to normal. Not sure what differences yet..

Saw some discussion of HomePod vs. Sonos, and in my master bedroom, I have the homepods under the TV, and some Sonos Ikea Symfonisk lamp speakers on the bedside tables on either side of the bed (with Lifx bulbs) and I absolutely love pairing all four together from the Apple TV. I think they work great together. The HomePods definitely sound better, but the IKEA/Sonos speakers are definitely worth the price they ask.

 

[rumormiller]

I was wondering why audio was stuttering last night on my Bedroom's stereo pair. Opened Home and saw that they were downloading the update.. waited a few minutes and they were back to normal. Not sure what differences yet..

Saw some discussion of HomePod vs. Sonos, and in my master bedroom, I have the homepods under the TV, and some Sonos Ikea Symfonisk lamp speakers on the bedside tables on either side of the bed (with Lifx bulbs) and I absolutely love pairing all four together from the Apple TV. I think they work great together. The HomePods definitely sound better, but the IKEA/Sonos speakers are definitely worth the price they ask.

Wow, I didn't even think that would be possible. That's such a neat wire free solution. Does the Apple TV think they are two stereo pairs or four single speakers or ?

Does the sound always stay in sync as an earlier poster said they didn't. Of course this could be down to individual network setups and stuff.

 

[I7guy]

My homepod reads ios 13.4.6 is the latest update. Wonder if that is a typo or if there is something else going on?

 

[zapmymac]

Update went without issues for me. I haven't noticed any drops/stuttering during the last update though. RAX75 router and single story family home. I do though, unplug and move my only HomePod throughout the house once every couple days; maybe that helps? Also bought at best buy 2 months ago on their sale.

 

[DarwinOSX]

still to rich for me. Finally broke down and got 4 google homes

Those sound like crap and are about to be replaced with an updated version.
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I legitimately forgot the homepod existed

No you didn’t.

 

[petieg]

All of the nice things being said about Sonos intrigues me. I’d pretty much settled on going with HomePod after reading all of the scathing reviews of Sonos speakers in Amazon reviews.

I need Airplay 2 compatibility and the ability to play simultaneously in multiple rooms. I don’t really care about smart home features, so if HomePod falls short in that area, it doesn’t bug me much. As long as it works well with Apple Music and also with playing from my Plex server, I will be happy. I also don’t need it to pair with the TV, we have our Yamaha receiver for that.

Finally, I don’t want to spend more than $200 per speaker and for that investment, the speaker should offer sound quality commensurate with that price point. So all of that said, is Sonos still a good alternative to HomePod? Because those pissed-off reviews in Amazon sure scared me off of that path...

One thing you may want to try is the Sonos Symfonisk from Ikea (with AirPlay2) -- $99, definitely an easy way to jump into Sonos if so desired. I use it for music/podcasts in the bathroom with AirPlay2 and it's been great. Plays nice with HomePod, Libratone Zipp Mini's (best utility speaker with USB, headphone jack, bluetooth, Airplay2 and battery powered), and a bunch of AirportExpress-connected speakers like the Bose SoundDock (w/ iPod connector) which is still an incredible speaker.
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Update went without issues for me. I haven't noticed any drops/stuttering during the last update though. RAX75 router and single story family home. I do though, unplug and move my only HomePod throughout the house once every couple days; maybe that helps? Also bought at best buy 2 months ago on their sale.

Your prime for a Zipp Mini from Libratone (I've got 2) -- battery powered. We use it in the kitchen and bring it out to the deck fairly often. No power necessary.
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During this quarantine, we've been playing movies outside with a cheap $35 screen that we hang in front of our garage. The kids get a Zipp Mini up front, wife and I have another in the 'balcony' (deck). We've even offered another speaker to our next door neighbor so they can watch from their deck w/out us having to crank it. They said it wasn't necessary as they can hear it fine -- we're really close to neighbor's house only separated by driveway width. iPad Pro 11 w/ USB-C dock attached to old Epson projector via HDMI, then AirPlay the sound to various speakers -- haven't had a problem yet. I originally bought this usb-c dock because it separates video from sound, but AirPlay2 eliminated the need to wire in a speaker. Only thing that requires power is the projector.
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My homepod reads ios 13.4.6 is the latest update. Wonder if that is a typo or if there is something else going on?

Nope, should be 13.4.8

 

[Babygotfont]

When I look at the release notes in the home app it says:
HomePod Software Version 13.5.1 includes general improvements for stability and quality.

but this update is 13.4.8?

It’s only .0.0.3 difference 👮🏿

 

[citysnaps]

All of mine (5) updated without issue.

 

[I7guy]

HomePods have never run smoother after I reset them and removed them from my home. The number is decreasing daily.

moved to Sonos and they play nice on airplay better than apples own product

That is if Sonos doesn’t discontinue the speakers you have.

 

[I7guy]

....
Nope, should be 13.4.8

So I unplugged the HomePod and then plugged the HomePod back in. About an hour later, magically the version was reading 13.4.8. Go figure.

 

[rcforkat]

After learning that HomePods were on sale at BestBuy, I went ahead and bought two of them. I use them as a paired stereo system in my media room and they work great! Great stereo and easy synchronization to my iPhone. Thanks to the person that posted the great sale!

 

[hooptyuber]

It could be a placebo, but I feel the Airplay connectivity from a Mac has improved in the last couple of updates. Also, did this update change the sound profile, sounds a bit different? Regardless, I love my Homepods... worth every penny I have spent on them!

I think they did do something in this update to improve the sound. I've had a pair of HomePods in stereo in my bedroom for about six months. I had high hopes for a stereo pair but was underwhelmed - poor stereo imaging and a rather overwhelming and inarticulate foghorn bass. I kept them but wasn't thrilled with them.

After this last update, the clarity and stereo image have improved and the flabby bass has tightened up. They must have changed the EQ. I actually enjoy listening to music through them now.

 

[l3it3r]

Wow, I didn't even think that would be possible. That's such a neat wire free solution. Does the Apple TV think they are two stereo pairs or four single speakers or ?

Does the sound always stay in sync as an earlier poster said they didn't. Of course this could be down to individual network setups and stuff.

Sorry I missed your question - didn't have notifications on.

The sound stays in sync. Have watched movies and Netflix binges that way many times. They play in stereo pairs, don't think there's any Front/Rear so to speak, but it does sound pretty damn good IMO. And I have a $10k surround sound setup in my theater room, so it's not a placebo.

 

[rumormiller]

Sorry I missed your question - didn't have notifications on.

The sound stays in sync. Have watched movies and Netflix binges that way many times. They play in stereo pairs, don't think there's any Front/Rear so to speak, but it does sound pretty damn good IMO. And I have a $10k surround sound setup in my theater room, so it's not a placebo.

Appreciate the response especially as you've made a comparison with a quality home theater setup.