The first update for the HomePod, version 11.3 (15E217) was released today. In this post, we’ll walk through the steps of updating your HomePod to the latest available public release.
Step 1: Ensure that your HomePod is powered on and configured. If you’ve yet to set up your HomePod for the first time, you can watch our initial HomePod impressions video for a walkthrough of the initial setup process.
Step 2: Launch the Home app on your iOS device.
Step 3: Tap the Location button in the upper left hand corner to open Home app configuration.
Step 4: Scroll down until you see the Speakers heading, and select Software Update.
Step 5: The Home app will check for available updates. If there are any, you will see details about the update, including size, name, and corresponding release notes. Tap the Update button that appears below the software update details.
Step 6: HomePod will download and Install the update to all HomePods configured in the Home app. The iOS 11.3 update, which was a little over 2 GB in size, took about 10 minutes in total to install successfully to both of my HomePods.
During the update the HomePod LED indicator will circle around indicating that an update is taking place. This will occur on all HomePods being updated. Once the update is completed, you’ll see a “software is up to date” message inside the Software Update section of the Home app. The indicator on the HomePod will also cease to circle around.
Unfortunately this update doesn’t provide any major new features. Notable additions like stereo pairing and multi-room playback remain very high on the list of desired new features. The good news is that the update does provide stability and bug fixes which should enhance the overall user experience.
Have you updated your HomePod yet? Share your thoughts about the update in the comments below.
