Some HomePod Software 15 testers report overheating problems

HomePod Setup (Image credit: Rene Ritchie / iMore)

What you need to know

Some people running beta HomePod software are experiencing problems including excessive heat.
There is no way to downgrade a HomePod, leaving users stuck.

Some people testing the HomePod Software 15 beta are reporting that their HomePods are getting unusually warm, sometimes even powering down due to the heat.

While Apple offers iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and other betas as a public beta program, that isn't the case with HomePod updates. Apple doesn't even offer a developer beta in fact, leaving those who are invited to the AppleSeed program as the only ones able to install the update legitimately. That said, the beta profile is easily found online which means anyone can install it — and a Reddit thread shows that people are having problems.

First spotted by 9to5Mac, the Reddit thread includes multiple people reporting issues including overheating and devices shutting down, presumably due to excess heat.

I advise to unplug anyone of your HomePods that are hot on top leading to your logic board failing or have the issue on audio os 15 where Siri can't pause music when it is playing music, touching the top will only skip it.

Particularly troubling is the fact users cannot downgrade to a previous, supported version of the HomePod Software, leaving them stuck on the beta train until later this year. We'd always suggest avoiding installing beta software on your main devices, but that's doubly the case when you're using HomePods and Apple Watches that don't support downgrading.

Hopefully Apple fixes whatever is happening with these impacted HomePods, but given most of these people likely shouldn't have the beta installed at all, it's unlikely they'll get too much help from Apple in the short term. Apple will likely release HomePod Software 15 proper in or around September.

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Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.