Facepalm: Some HomePod users are experiencing problems with the latest iOS 13.2 update. While some are finding their devices have limited functionality, others have discovered their smart speakers completely bricked. Apple has pulled the update and is reportedly replacing HomePods that have gone haywire.
Home speaker assistants have been having a hard go of it recently. Following reports of third-party contractors listening to user interactions with the AI devices, Google released an update last week that apparently bricked some devices. This week it was Apple's turn.
On the heels of Cupertino's release of iOS 13.2 on Monday, the company has pulled the update from the HomePod, which uses the same software, after reports that it was causing some devices to become nonfunctional.
Multiple complaints began rolling in on Reddit and MacRumors forums stating that their HomePods were displaying a "white swirl" or were stuck in a permanent reset loop.
"So the [13.2] update in the beginning pretty much killed Apple Music for me, so I went to unpair it/remove from the home app. Now I have a white spinning light at the top," wrote one Redditor.
Even trying a factory reset failed to resolve the problem.
Apple's support page for the HomePod added a warning against trying to perform a factory reset on devices installed with the 13.2 update. It did not disclose a reason for the precaution but suggests that if users have already tried this to contact Apple Support.
According to the above-quoted Redditor, he contacted support and was told that Apple would replace his HomePod since they do not have a fix for the problem. The company has subsequently pulled the update to prevent other users from downloading it.
It is unclear whether Apple is replacing out-of-warranty devices. However, when Google had the same problem, it went ahead and waived the warranty-status limitation on speakers its update had bricked.
Apple's iOS 13 has had quite a rocky launch. The updated operating system, geared at coinciding with the release of the iPhone 11, has seen numerous updates in the weeks following its release. Most of the patches have been to fix bugs, while iOS 13.2 was supposed to bring additional functionality to the iPhone 11. It appears it brought its own costly glitches as well.