UPDATED 08:48 EDT / SEPTEMBER 23 2013

NEWS

Apple’s TV Update Backfires: Some Devices Unusable

On Friday, as fanbois lined up waiting to get their new iPhones, other less fortunate, new-iPhone-less Apple-ites were at home busily updating their Apple TVs to the latest software version. Unfortunately, just like the new iOS 7 and its Touch ID feature, Apple TV 6.0 is as buggy as hell.

Thousands of Apple telly addicts were quick to update their set-top boxes to the latest version the moment it was made available, as it promised to deliver exciting new features like iTunes Radio, AirPlay from iCloud, iCloud Photos and Videos, the iTunes Music Store, and conference room mode.

Though the update delivers more useful features like iCloud Photos and Videos, which allow users to directly stream content from the iCloud to their Apple TVs, instead of using an iDevice as a middleman, dozens of users immediately reported problems with the update.  Complaints from customers included reports that their Apple TVs were unusable, that content was wiped whilst updating, that they were unable to download content, being asked to reset their device, and not being able to connect to the internet, even though they had an active connection  Because of these problems, Apple was forced to pull out its software update within hours of its release.

If by any chance you too have fallen victim to Apple TV’s software update bug, the only way to fix it is by restoring your TV to its original installed software version. Apple says that by  restoring your device, it will revert to the old software – while you wait to download the new software version whenever they get round to fixing it.

How To Repair Your Apple TV

 

To do so, open iTunes on your computer, making sure you have the latest version of iTunes, then connect your Apple TV to a computer using a microUSB.  If your Apple TV is a second generation model, you just need the microUSB, if it’s a third generation device, aside from connecting it to a computer using a microUSB, you also need to plug the power cable.

Now, click “Restore Apple TV” from the Apple TV summary page.  During the restore, do not unplug any cables or touch anything else!  After the restore process completes and the Apple TV icon disappears from iTunes, disconnect the micro-USB and power cables (if applicable), then reconnect the device to your TV with the HDMI and power cables.  Do not leave your Apple TV connected to your computer after it has been restored, as it may cause the device to loop back into restore mode.

Some users reported that this seemed to fix everything, though others have said that it didn’t work for them.  If you were fortunate enough to not jump on the first chance to get the software update, consider yourself lucky.  Also, if you don’t have an iOS 7 device, there’s no point in updating the Apple TV to the latest software anyway as it only works with the new iOS software.

No news from Apple yet on when the software update will be fixed and made available for download again.


A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE:

Your vote of support is important to us and it helps us keep the content FREE.

One click below supports our mission to provide free, deep, and relevant content.  

Join our community on YouTube

Join the community that includes more than 15,000 #CubeAlumni experts, including Amazon.com CEO Andy Jassy, Dell Technologies founder and CEO Michael Dell, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, and many more luminaries and experts.

“TheCUBE is an important partner to the industry. You guys really are a part of our events and we really appreciate you coming and I know people appreciate the content you create as well” – Andy Jassy

THANK YOU