Harman Kardon Invoke Cortana Speaker

Anonymous
2020-03-04T03:48:09+00:00

Okay, I made the mistake of buying 4 Invokes for $50 at the Microsoft Store. I first bought two and really like them and then bought two more.  I have two of them set up.

I love the sound quality (it's better than the Echo Dots and Google Homes that I also have) and I've been pretty happy with them. I use them for listening to the radio (via TuneIn), setting timers, and as my alarm clock.

I have also set up reminders and they showed up in my Windows PC as a notification. That's something that I don't think Alexa or Google Home can do.  Really neat!  I also like Cortana's personality.

But I made the mistake of waiting too long before setting the other two up. I have been trying since December 2019 to set them up using both my Windows 10 PC and an Android phone. The setup app can connect to the speakers and then have the speakers connect to my WiFi network. Everything seems to be going well but the set up process never finishes.

After connecting to WiFi, the speaker tells me it needs to update the system software/firmware and to please wait. Eventually, the speakers tells me that something went wrong and that I should start the setup process over again.

I keep repeating the setup process and the same thing happens. It seems like it is trying to update the software/firmware to the latest version but a server is down or something so it can never finish the set up process.

Can someone from Microsoft please tell me if it is still possible to setup my two remaining Harmon Kardon Invoke speakers?  Is the server responsible for setting up and updating the Invoke still operating?

If not, is there any way I can manually update the firmware on the Invokes to the latest? There is a USB port on the Invoke that is supposed to be used for "service". Can this be used to update the firmware?  Is there a firmware file available for download?

If the server is down, can Microsoft put the server back up again so I can set up my remaining two Invokes?  I received no warning that this would happen.  Perhaps you host the server on your Azure Cloud services?  That would seem like the perfect place to do it.  It shouldn't take up too much resources as it would just spin up when needed.  Please restore the server even if it's only for a limited time.  Just give us a warning when it will go down so we would have time to set up our speakers before its too late.

I tried emailing Harman Kardon but I can tell they won't be of much help.  Any help or information would be greatly appreciated.  These are brand new speakers and I would just hate for them to be useless right out of the box.  And I wish that Microsoft wouldn't give up on Cortana like this.

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Cortana and search

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

101 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2020-05-05T02:48:44+00:00

    I have had a significant amount of drop out with all of my three Invoke speakers lately. Whether they just get a momentary glitch or can't connect to the internet. They do all seem to come back after the outages. This was something I never experienced often in the past.

    Interestingly though today Microsoft released a new update for the Cortana Windows 10 beta app and guess what … we have access to our devices back in there again! This is an encouraging sign for users and for Cortana. It seems that core functionality that was removed from Windows is slowly coming back. It would seem that Cortana is going through some growing pains but it also seems as though she is not being forgotten, simply retooled. I have to say that I am relieved that it appears devices are back as products like the Invoke and Xbox integrations are something MSFT wants to continue with. 

    Sounds effects are still not working but I expect these will also come back with time. Hopefully more updates are coming and core functionality will come back over time also.

    Just an update too on those trying to reconnect their devices and having issues, some may be related to two factor authentication approving the invoke signing in allows the reconnection of the device otherwise it will fail.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2020-05-02T17:35:20+00:00

    So, yes, I do believe you can use the Invokes purely for Bluetooth. You just have to toggle the Bluetooth button on the back.

    However, I think you still need the Cortana app to go through the setup, prior to using the Bluetooth. Since you are in the UK, I'm guessing Cortana has already been pulled? If you do not have, I would find an older APK, and try to setup your Invokes. If it fails, just unplug it, wait a minute, than plug it back in. It will revert to base firmware, and Cortana may not respond to commands, but you should be able to use the Bluetooth at the point.

    I should note, this is all a guess, I am not sure, but this is what I would do, if it were me.

    Cheers,

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2020-05-02T05:31:39+00:00

    Does anyone know if it is  possible to use the Invoke purely as a Bluetooth speaker without going through the Cortana set up? I am still having massive issues here in the UK (not sure if is region specific) even with latest software. :(

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2020-04-30T16:55:58+00:00

    Is it possible to use the Invokes purely as a Bluetooth speaker without going through the Cortana set up? I am still having massive issues here in the UK (not sure if is region specific) even with latest software. :(

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  5. Anonymous
    2020-04-30T00:55:02+00:00

    Yup, I noticed both of my Invokes were up and running yesterday, with the most up-to-date firmware. No joke, I did a double take, and had to confirm the newest firmware version on this board, just to make sure I was not seeing things.

    Though, according to Microsoft, Harman and Kardon is responsible for the firmware...so maybe they decided to turn things back on? Kind of funny, a couple of days before Cortana disappears from Microsoft Launcher, everything starts working properly with the Invokes, and with her...sort of ironic.

    Cheers,

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments