HomePod software now based on tvOS instead of iOS, report claims

The 13.4 operating system update for HomePod was released in March, alongside new versions of iOS, iPadOS and tvOS. At the time, release notes claimed performance improvements and bug fixes, but it appears Apple made a larger change to HomePod's OS that escaped notice until now.

While the HomePod 13.4 software update contained no major user-facing features, 9to5Mac found that the firmware now runs on Apple's tvOS operating system instead of iOS.

Both tvOS and the software that runs on HomePod are variants of iOS, so while there are small differences, the underlying core of the operating systems are the same.

Word of the transition to tvOS arrives after Bloomberg on Monday reported that Apple was working on a new HomePod model that would be about half the size of the original and is expected to retail for a lower price.

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