For the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch, Apple offers both developer betas and public test versions that allow users to test new software features before they are officially released. With the HomePod, things work a little differently.
While users can officially receive a beta for iPhone and other devices at any time, things are different with the HomePod. For the Siri speaker, there is currently only an AppleSeed beta, which is actually available to invited users - with emphasis on actually. Now it seems that this preview is causing major problems - hardware failures are also part of the problem. Although the HomePod and HomePod mini betas are technically only available to invited users, the device profile required to install the beta software can easily be found via a quick Google search. This means that people who have not been invited to the AppleSeed test program can still install the HomePod beta firmware. And that is exactly what some Reddit user. One of the most common complaints is that the HomePod gets unusually hot when running the beta. In some cases, the smart speaker even shuts down completely, apparently due to overheating.
HomePod audioOS beta: No way to go back
This is annoying and there is no way to downgrade on the HomePod. I hope Apple fixes this soon or provides a downgrade path profile so I can plug mine back into the wall. Even for developers, this is a pretty difficult situation to deal with.
In addition to hardware failures, the complaints also include many different software problems, which significantly limit the user experience. This can be seen as proof that you should not install betas - especially HomePod betas - on your primary devices. This is especially true for the HomePod because there is no way to go back to an earlier HomePod software build. So if you actually decide to do a beta test, no matter which device you use, you should always choose a second device, not your production device. (Photo by hadrian / Bigstockphoto)
