Apple HomePod Now Runs tvOS, not iOS
- Paul Thurrott
- Apr 14, 2020
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After examining the latest HomePod firmware, 9to5Mac discovered that it is now based on tvOS, and not iOS as before. What does this mean for the product and its users?
As the publication explains, most of Apple’s newer platforms—iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, and the previous-generation HomePod firmware—are all basically offshoots of iOS, the platform behind the iPhone and iPod touch, and are modified as needed to accommodate the hardware on which they run.
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The switch from an iOS core to a tvOS core in the latest HomePod firmware doesn’t impact the device’s performance or functionality, 9to5Mac says. Instead, it appears to be related to a few core needs.
The first and most obvious is that iOS is designed for devices that run on batteries and have special power management functionality. But the HomePod, like the Apple TV, is always run on power, and thus the two underlying systems work more similarly than do, say, an iPhone and HomePod.
But this change might also be tied to expectations that Apple will drop support for the A8 chipset in iOS 14. The A8 was used in iOS devices like the iPad mini 4 and iPad Air 2, both of which are quite old. That chipset is also used in the 4th-generation Apple TV (which is older and HD-only) and, wait for it, the HomePod. As such, the next version of tvOS will continue to support this chipset.
So while it seems odd that the HomePod would run tvOS, this all makes sense in the end.