Apple Details What to Do If You Can't Update HomePod When Advanced Data Protection Is Enabled
Apple has published a new support document explaining what to do if users are unable to set up or update a HomePod when Advanced Data Protection for iCloud is enabled.
To use Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, all the devices logged into your Apple ID require a minimum software version. That includes HomePod speakers, which must be running at least HomePod software 16.2.
However, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, there is a bug in the Home app that prevents HomePods running older versions of the software from being updated if iCloud end-to-end encryption has been turned on.
This means anyone buying a HomePod that ships with an OS older than 16.2 won't be able to set it up, because doing so first requires an update.
Apple's support document explains what options are available to customers facing this predicament. If the speaker in question is a HomePod mini, users can connect it to a Mac via the USB-C cable and update it through Finder (or iTunes on a PC) by selecting the HomePod in the Finder sidebar and clicking the Restore HomePod option. This will update the speaker to the latest software, after which it can be properly set up.
The full-size first-generation HomePod and the new 2023 HomePod have no USB-C port, so unless Apple includes a fix in iOS 16.3, which is expected to be released next week, owners of these speakers will have to temporarily turn off Advanced Data Protection to update the HomePod software. Apple outlines how to do that in the following way:
- Turn off Advanced Data Protection in iCloud settings on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac: In Settings or System Settings, tap your name, then tap iCloud. Scroll to Advanced Data Protection and turn off Advanced Data Protection.
- If you received an error message when you previously tried to set up your HomePod, you may need to reset your HomePod. Then set up your HomePod.
- Update your HomePod to the latest software using the Home app.
- Turn on Advanced Data Protection in iCloud settings on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac: In Settings or System Settings, tap your name, then tap iCloud. Scroll to Advanced Data Protection and turn on Advanced Data Protection.
Apple advises anyone who temporarily turns off Advanced Data Protection to turn it back on immediately after their HomePod software is updated.
Popular Stories
Apple is planning some of the "biggest iOS and macOS redesigns in its history," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman reiterated that iOS 19 will have a visionOS-like design with more transparent interfaces:The new interfaces will adopt the design principles introduced in visionOS, the software for Apple's Vision Pro headset. That includes greater...
If you've been following iPhone rumors over the last few years, you may remember reading reports that Apple flirted with the idea of introducing a super high-end "Ultra" model that would either replace its Pro Max device or sit above it in Apple's smartphone hirearchy. These reports appeared in the pre-launch iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 rumor cycles, but ultimately came to nothing. Now though, the...
Apple prototyped a larger ultra-slim iPhone 17 Air with a 6.9-inch display, but ultimately decided not to go ahead with the device because of fears that it could be susceptible to bending, according to a new report.
Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, writing in his latest Power On newsletter:
When it first started work on the phone, it prototyped a device with a 6.9-inch screen — matching...
In an investor research note today with British bank Barclays, analyst Tim Long said Apple's first foldable iPhone could have a starting price in the $2,300 range in the United States, which would make it by far the most expensive iPhone model ever.
If the first foldable iPhone starts at $2,299, that means it would cost nearly twice as much as the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which starts at $1,199.
...
The iOS 18.3.2 update that Apple released last week appears to have broken iCloud Mail for some users. There are multiple complaints on Reddit and the MacRumors forums from users who say that iCloud Mail is not able to push new iCloud emails to their iPhones after the iOS 18.3.2 update.
Affected users say that despite having the correct settings enabled, new iCloud emails are not showing up...
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today shared some new details about the rumored iPhone 17 Air.
In his Power On newsletter, Gurman said he was told that the device may start at roughly $899 in the U.S., which means that it would occupy the same price point as the iPhone 16 Plus. This would make sense, as it has been widely rumored that the Air model will take over the Plus model's spot in the iPhone...
All four iPhone 17 models launching later this year will feature an upgraded 24-megapixel front-facing camera, according to analyst Jeff Pu.
In a research note today with investment firm GF Securities, Pu shared a chart in which he reiterated that the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will each be equipped with a 24-megapixel front camera. By comparison, all four ...
While the iPhone 18 Pro models are still around a year and a half away from launching, there are already some early rumors about the devices.
Below, we recap some key iPhone 18 Pro rumors so far.
Under-Screen Face ID
In April 2023, display industry analyst Ross Young shared a roadmap showing that iPhone 17 Pro models would feature under-display Face ID. In May 2024, however, Young said ...
