[…]
Is there a way to enforce only binaries are fetched and compilation is
never attempted? Even if that means I might not always run the latest
version?
Yes there is a way. Look at the output from `guix weather` (see
<https://guix.gnu.org/en/manual/devel/en/html_node/Invoking-guix-weather.html>
in the English manual); if substitute coverage is bad, you could wait a
few days or maybe look at `guix build --log-file` if compilation fails
at the build farm (see
<https://guix.gnu.org/en/manual/devel/en/html_node/Additional-Build-Options.html>).
If you want `guix pull` without compiling, then look at
<https://guix.gnu.org/en/manual/devel/en/html_node/Channels-with-Substitutes.html>.