Apple Releases New 13.4.8 Software for HomePod

Alongside of iOS and iPadOS 13.6, Apple today released new 13.4.8 software for the HomePod. According to Apple's release notes, the update brings no new features and instead focuses on "general improvements for stability and quality."

homepod duo
The new ‌HomePod‌ software comes two months after the release of the ‌HomePod‌ 13.4.5 software, which also included general improvements for stability and quality.

‌HomePod‌‌ software is installed automatically on the ‌‌HomePod‌‌, but the ‌‌HomePod‌‌ can also be manually updated by following the instructions in our ‌‌HomePod‌‌ update how to.

Related Roundup: HomePod
Buyer's Guide: HomePod (Neutral)

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Top Rated Comments

5097842 Avatar
60 months ago

still to rich for me. Finally broke down and got 4 google dot homes :(
Best Buy has them for $200 every other month or so, that's a good deal to me. I enjoy my HomePod and get a lot of use out of it, but $300 is steep and the original $350 was just too much for what it does.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wackery Avatar
60 months ago
I legitimately forgot the homepod existed
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kissmo Avatar
60 months ago

that’s not the HomePod failing, that’s Siri - internet connection to Apple and their Siri servers.

I’m sure your HomePod functions properly aside from specific or a short range of requests related to Siri.

personally I don’t use Siri as often as I could/should. Call it me being older (40’s) or just old school or just in a condo with 1 HomePod, but it works sweetly as a wireless speaker much more reliable than the Play:1/Play:One from Sonos. The quality, sound volume and frequency range and renege is just so much better, cleaner, louder.

the only issues I’ve experienced with 13.4 and with 13.3/13.2/.1 was the random Siri “Uh-Huh” during the witching hours of the IG HR with no command being sent by me,TV off, iPhone locked and asleep along with myself.Kinda freaky honestly.



is there any network congestion going on? 2.4/5ghz connection? What commands does these errors show up frequently or consistently with?
Yes you old dog... I’m gonna be 40 in october too. :)

No complains about the sound quality! I love the sound from the HomePds. I never saw anything at this size, in this form factor and with this functionality that even comes close.

Connection issues - never thought about it that it can be Siri to servers. I am wondering though why am I not experiencing these on the iPhone or iPad?

Cheers mate, lots oh health and may our 40s represent the first third of our life! ;)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rcforkat Avatar
60 months ago
After learning that HomePods were on sale at BestBuy, I went ahead and bought two of them. I use them as a paired stereo system in my media room and they work great! Great stereo and easy synchronization to my iPhone. Thanks to the person that posted the great sale!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DeepIn2U Avatar
60 months ago

After every update, the HomePods run super smooth. But a couple of days later, Siri keeps telling me to Just a sec....

Whatever... I don't believe in these updates at all for the HomePod.
I thought it was a network issue but that doesn't explain why the work perfect for the first 2-3 days....
that’s not the HomePod failing, that’s Siri - internet connection to Apple and their Siri servers.

I’m sure your HomePod functions properly aside from specific or a short range of requests related to Siri.

personally I don’t use Siri as often as I could/should. Call it me being older (40’s) or just old school or just in a condo with 1 HomePod, but it works sweetly as a wireless speaker much more reliable than the Play:1/Play:One from Sonos. The quality, sound volume and frequency range and renege is just so much better, cleaner, louder.

the only issues I’ve experienced with 13.4 and with 13.3/13.2/.1 was the random Siri “Uh-Huh” during the witching hours of the IG HR with no command being sent by me,TV off, iPhone locked and asleep along with myself.Kinda freaky honestly.


EXACTLY this. My 2 stereo HomePods will work flawlessly now for about a week.

Then “just a sec”, “one more moment”, “there was a problem with the app”, “I didn’t hear back”.
is there any network congestion going on? 2.4/5ghz connection? What commands does these errors show up frequently or consistently with?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
petieg Avatar
60 months ago

All of the nice things being said about Sonos intrigues me. I’d pretty much settled on going with HomePod after reading all of the scathing reviews of Sonos speakers in Amazon reviews.

I need Airplay 2 compatibility and the ability to play simultaneously in multiple rooms. I don’t really care about smart home features, so if HomePod falls short in that area, it doesn’t bug me much. As long as it works well with Apple Music and also with playing from my Plex server, I will be happy. I also don’t need it to pair with the TV, we have our Yamaha receiver for that.

Finally, I don’t want to spend more than $200 per speaker and for that investment, the speaker should offer sound quality commensurate with that price point. So all of that said, is Sonos still a good alternative to HomePod? Because those pissed-off reviews in Amazon sure scared me off of that path...
One thing you may want to try is the Sonos Symfonisk from Ikea (with AirPlay2) -- $99, definitely an easy way to jump into Sonos if so desired. I use it for music/podcasts in the bathroom with AirPlay2 and it's been great. Plays nice with HomePod, Libratone Zipp Mini's (best utility speaker with USB, headphone jack, bluetooth, Airplay2 and battery powered), and a bunch of AirportExpress-connected speakers like the Bose SoundDock (w/ iPod connector) which is still an incredible speaker.


Update went without issues for me. I haven't noticed any drops/stuttering during the last update though. RAX75 router and single story family home. I do though, unplug and move my only HomePod throughout the house once every couple days; maybe that helps? Also bought at best buy 2 months ago on their sale.
Your prime for a Zipp Mini from Libratone (I've got 2) -- battery powered. We use it in the kitchen and bring it out to the deck fairly often. No power necessary.

During this quarantine, we've been playing movies outside with a cheap $35 screen that we hang in front of our garage. The kids get a Zipp Mini up front, wife and I have another in the 'balcony' (deck). We've even offered another speaker to our next door neighbor so they can watch from their deck w/out us having to crank it. They said it wasn't necessary as they can hear it fine -- we're really close to neighbor's house only separated by driveway width. iPad Pro 11 w/ USB-C dock attached to old Epson projector via HDMI, then AirPlay the sound to various speakers -- haven't had a problem yet. I originally bought this usb-c dock because it separates video from sound, but AirPlay2 eliminated the need to wire in a speaker. Only thing that requires power is the projector. :)


My homepod reads ios 13.4.6 is the latest update. Wonder if that is a typo or if there is something else going on?
Nope, should be 13.4.8
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)