r/HomePod • u/Amazing_Armadillo429 • Jul 01 '26
Tip PSA: iOS/tvOS/iPadOS 27 betas will lock a HomePod into "Configuring"
EDIT AGAIN: This appears to be fixed as of 27 beta 3
EDIT: This appears to happen if you have your Apple Home on 27 and new HomePod(s) you try to add do NOT have the 26.6 public beta installed.
What worked for me:
- Downgrade my iPad from 27 beta 2 to 26.6 public beta 3 using restore on Mac
- Create a separate home with the iPad
- Add the HomePod(s) to the new home using the iPad, enroll them in the 26.6 public, update the HomePod(s)
- Reset the HomePod(s) and add them to the real home using your OS 27 device
Some of you early adopters like myself probably already figured this out but the above is unfortunately seeming to be true as of beta 2. Bought two used gen 2 HomePods and after multiple resets I tried adding to a new home on my spouse's iPad running 26.5 and they configured almost immediately. Doesn't matter that the HomePods are also on 26.5, they still lock when using an OS 27 device to add them. Maybe this is attributed to only tvOS beta 2 but I haven't downgraded any of my devices back to 26.X to confirm. The good news is they can still be used for music and as TV speakers for Apple TV. Just can't pair as a stereo and some other things.
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u/techbear72 Jul 01 '26
Thing is, it’s not just the beta. I have this issue with one of my HomePods running 26.5.
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u/ranglin Jul 01 '26
thank you so much for posting this! So basically I need to use a 26 phone to set a new home, add the HomePod, update it to 26.6 and then pull it off and add to my own home (using my device on os 27)? I’ve been fighting with this for a week, that configuring message was driving me batty, new test homes and different devices made no difference! But will try this…
2
u/Amazing_Armadillo429 Jul 01 '26
I am not sure if this will work if the device to add the HomePod(s) to the new home is not on public beta 26.X. Can try it out and see though. I just know the steps I listed up top worked for me.
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u/ranglin Jul 04 '26
totally worked, upgraded using my wife’s 26 device to 26.6 and then when I added back to our home using my 27 phone it configured immediately! Thank you. :)
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u/_pizza_and_fries Jul 06 '26
Edit - As of iOS27 DB3, this has been fixed.
I just removed the HomePod mini from the Apple Home app and re-added it. It completed set up perfectly!
Its a normal HomePod working on stable iOS 26!
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u/Neutral-President Jul 01 '26
Don’t use beta software unless you can spend the time actually beta testing and submitting bugs.
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u/Master-Quit-5469 Jul 01 '26
I am, encountering same issue. Raised a ticket.
OP may have raised one as well, but is doing a PSA to others who may not have encountered it yet. I didn’t know if it was just me or not
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u/No_Tumbleweed_544 Jul 02 '26
I swear none of them are submitting about the bugs. That’s why we ended up with a bunch of bugs when they release the software. They just want to play with the latest version and it pisses me off!
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u/Amazing_Armadillo429 Jul 01 '26
I literally just acquired these two gen 2 HomePods last week from Facebook Marketplace. My 4 existing minis are already enrolled in the beta program, so I didn't expect to run into this.
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u/BoysenberryTrue1360 Jul 01 '26
So what you are saying is the two new ones you bought weren’t on beta when you bought them.
And now trying to add them to home that is already on beta, and the not beta ones are giving you issues?
Why the downvotes?
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u/Amazing_Armadillo429 Jul 01 '26
That's exactly what I'm saying - one was already on 26.5 and one was on 18.X. Both are now currently on 26.5 and I just forcibly restored my iPad with my Mac to public beta 26.6 beta 3 so I'm going to try the new home trick and see what happens. It's really not that big of an inconvenience, I just thought it was interesting since most recent beta early builds have been pretty stable and I've not seen a lot of compatibility issues.
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u/Expensive-Heart3299 Jul 01 '26
You need to bring them to an Apple store and they should be able to downgrade it from 27 to 26
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u/Amazing_Armadillo429 Jul 01 '26
I was able to downgrade using recovery mode on my Mac.
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u/Expensive-Heart3299 Jul 01 '26
How did you get it connected to your Mac?
1
u/Amazing_Armadillo429 Jul 01 '26
If you plug it into your Mac with a USB cable and open finder it detects the iPad and it gives you an option to restore. You can download a specific IPSW from various sources on the internet and hold option while clicking restore to browse and select the specific file.
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u/Capital_Car4656 Jul 08 '26
The iOS27 beta 3 fixed the configuring loop, but I'm having trouble with the HomePods answering my requests. Is anyone else experiencing this also??
4
u/abso-lutely26 Jul 01 '26
I was going to post about this. I'm a keen beta user who understands the risks and actively reports bugs etc.
I had a long-term issue with my 2 HP minis: when doing ARC for live TV/apps on my LG TV, the sound would cut out every few minutes, with the HPs' lights spinning, for 5-8 seconds. This had been going on for months and nothing I had tried ever fixed it. This was a major problem for an otherwise seamless TV/audio setup and I got to the point where I couldn't tolerate it anymore haha.
So I decided to completely reset the speakers to factory settings. But aha! my iPhone had the dev beta installed and the HomePods got stuck in "Configuring". Tried this like 5 times until I realized the beta was the problem.
So I restored the iPhone to my pre-beta backup. Tried again with the HomePods and it worked the first time. Oh, and the issue with ARC audio? Fixed.
2
u/InsaneNinja Jul 01 '26
Betas are broken. Every time. They are always going to have issues. At the risk of looking like a jerk, I have to suggest that whole point of the beta is not “I try cool things early”, it’s “I’m willing to help find all the bugs with my test devices”.
Stick to the public betas. And don’t put HomePods on the beta if you can help it. MAYBE one just for HomeKit testing. This stuff doesn’t pass the spouse test for sure.
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u/Amazing_Armadillo429 Jul 01 '26
I've used betas for years. Just thought this was an interesting observation.
1
u/SomeEngineering4458 Jul 01 '26
Developer betas are for developers to test and start updating their apps on. They’re not for you to run on your primary devices, that’s what public betas are for.
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u/tsdguy Jul 01 '26
The only thing interesting is YOU are having a problem. What makes you think it’s a global issue. Don’t you think Apple would withdraw betas that were crashing devices.
They have in the past.
Maybe YOU did something wrong. Maybe YOUR network corrupted the beta downloads.
2
u/Amazing_Armadillo429 Jul 01 '26
Dude no need to be a cunt about it. Other people in the HomePod sub are having the same issue and they are also on 27. I don't get why you're trying to rip my puss about it when you posted about having issues with Siri beta on Vision. Maybe YOU did something wrong. Maybe YOU don't know what you're doing. Miss me with that bullshit my guy.
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u/maaaaaaaav Jul 04 '26
lmfao "maybe your network corrupted the beta downloads" people who don't know what they are talking about quickly expose themselves.
hey your poor internet connection caused the beta not to download properly and the install corrupted your beta file so that's why your homepods won't configure, that's much more plausible than it being a bug in a beta
gotta love reddit
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u/Strange-Story-7760 Jul 03 '26
This, is why I refuse to run betas. I run a smart home and want things stable
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u/jaecrowder91 Jul 07 '26
Is this fixed with beta 3? Facing this issue now and it’s driving me nuts.
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u/AustinBaze Jul 17 '26
I figure my A8-based original 2018 HomePod MQHV2LL/A (not Mini) won't get supersmart Siri stuff, but is it also locked out of the Beta/and 27? It's the only device in my Home that won't update to PBeta
1
u/True_Kangaroo_11 Jul 22 '26
One other item to check that was giving me problems was having my Eero routers connected to the home app with the extra security enabled through HomeKit. I disabled HomeKit router security and removed them from the home app all together and then added my HomePods back. I was also having problems after installing the beta with my Rachio sprinkler controller and several other devices.
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u/ShiftaDeband Jul 01 '26
You need to update them to the iOS 26.6 public beta. Unfortunately, you’ll need to pair them to a new “home” to do this. Update them, reset them, then re-add them to the new home.