The audioOS 18 beta can't be revisited — by design
HomePod beta enrollment, like Apple TV's, is a single forward-facing toggle: it serves whatever cycle is live, currently audioOS 27. The audioOS 18 builds that toggle delivered in 2024 (June through September, sharing tvOS 18's build numbers throughout) are neither served nor signed today — and the platform's no-downgrade rule means even speakers that ran them have long since moved on. On HomePod, software history is strictly one-way.
Nothing was lost in the rolling: the 18 cycle's Siri and multi-room work shipped finished in audioOS 18.x and flowed into the unified 26/27 era every HomePod now runs. A speaker on current software carries the whole inheritance.
Step-by-step
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1Bring any speaker current
Home app > long-press tile > gear > Software Update — install rounds until current. Every HomePod model supports today's releases.
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2Join the live beta (deliberately)
Owner account enrolled at beta.apple.com, then the beta toggle in that same Software Update screen. Pick a non-critical speaker.
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3Know the exit before entering
Toggle off + wait for the next public release is the only way back — no restores, no downgrades on any HomePod.
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4Keep one speaker stable
Multi-HomePod homes: leave at least one on stable software. Timers, intercom and morning routines will thank you.
What every HomePod should run in 2026
Simple: current stable audioOS, via the Home app's hidden update screen (long-press the speaker tile > gear > Software Update). Every HomePod ever sold — 2018 original, mini, second generation — takes today's releases; no speaker caps at 18. Automatic updates handle it overnight for most homes, which is why many owners have never seen a version number in their lives.
A speaker discovered on old software just needs power, Wi-Fi and a few update rounds through that screen — the full revival procedure is on our audioOS 16 page for truly dusty units.
Joining the live HomePod beta today
The flow audioOS 18 testers used is today's flow, aimed at 27: the home owner's Apple Account enrolls at beta.apple.com, then Home app > speaker tile > gear > Software Update > beta toggle on. Stereo pairs enroll together, installs pulse the top light white for 15–30 minutes, and — the eternal fine print — there is no way back until the toggle comes off and a newer public release ships.
The 27 cycle makes the old advice newly relevant: with the rebuilt Siri arriving speaker-side, this is the most interesting HomePod beta ever — and still the one to keep off the speaker your family's alarms depend on.
The 18 cycle's quiet legacy
audioOS 18's summer tested what speaker betas always test — Siri reliability, handoff behavior, stereo sync, hub duties — and closed at 18.6 (build 22M84), matching its tvOS sibling to the digit. Its real legacy is the tempo: HomePod betas as the invisible, self-installing background hum of Apple's most shared devices.
That hum continues in the current cycle, one Home-app toggle away, with our live audioOS 27 guide covering the details.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get the audioOS 18 beta on my HomePod?
No — the beta toggle serves only the live cycle (currently 27), and old builds are unsigned. audioOS 18's finished releases already flowed into what your speaker runs now.
Which HomePods can join today's beta?
All of them — original, mini and second generation alike. HomePod is the rare Apple family with every model still fully supported.
Why do audioOS and tvOS share build numbers?
Same platform underneath — audioOS 18.6 and tvOS 18.6 were both build 22M84. When our tracker shows twin builds, that's architecture, not error.