Amazon Echo Buds in its charging case.
Update July 28 below. This post was first published on Sunday, July 26.
Amazon’s internal Echo Buds earphones have recently suffered a setback, with a small number of users reporting an overheating issue. A firmware update has fixed this. Here is the story and how to fix the problem if you own Echo Buds.
Update July 28. In the last few hours, a new update has arrived for Echo Buds, with the device software version number 318971203, so it’s worth updating for your peace of mind and the new features it offers.
Just like the Echo Buds issue was fixed with an update, now this Echo Buds update, along with an update to the Amazon Alexa smartphone app, can make using Buds even easier and more effective.
As Sarah Perez pointed out in Tech Crunch, the Alexa app has been completely redesigned to offer a completely new home screen. This is now set up to be a much more personalized feature with useful custom details such as displaying current or recently used Amazon devices, including, you guessed it, Amazon Echo Buds.
The new home page in the app also displays tips, like shopping lists, and offers one-touch access to recent media, like the last radio station you asked Alexa to tune into, let’s say.
The new Alexa app update coincides with a new Echo Buds update. And now Echo Buds can be controlled … [+]
This home page automatically changes according to your needs, so a newcomer will be guided to get started with Alexa, while Echo Buds users will see their device front and center on the page with controls for active cancellation noise or pitch settings, for example, adjustable much more directly and easily than before. A microphone tells you whether the Echo Buds are muted or not, and you can even access the Ear Tip Size Test directly, which is much less button-pressing than before. The details on the first page also include the battery levels for each outbreak and the case.
Skills, which is what Amazon calls Alexa apps, have been removed from this screen entirely, emphasizing the company’s recognition that you are more likely to want to interact with your Amazon devices than discover more skills all the time.
At the top of the screen is an Alexa button which, once you have given the app permission to listen, will reply by saying its name and pressing the logo.
The new app is being rolled out now, so it might be a while before you see it, although some users have reported that it’s already there. Mine arrived yesterday, as it happens, along with the Echo Buds update.
Amazon Echo Buds are truly wireless noise reduction headphones from Bose. Although the reviews varied widely when they were first released, there were enough positives for many to buy.
However, earlier this month, the headphones were reported to be hot and not in a good way.
In fact, some overheated, as first reported by Android Central. To be clear, this was not a situation where the ears heat up inside the ear, so to speak. Conversely, the buds could overheat when placed in the charging case, which isn’t too bad, but certainly not great either.
Still, Amazon quickly responded with a solution in the form of a firmware update, which it said fixed the issue.
Like Apple AirPods, Echo Buds updates automatically, not something you need to do, but still, for your peace of mind, this is what you should do as an Echo Buds owner.
First, open the Alexa app on the phone your Echo Buds are paired with and go to Device Settings, then Echo Buds. Then choose About. You are now looking for the device software version number. If it’s 318119151, or higher, then you have the latest software, and you can continue to enjoy your Echo Buds without fear of being hot the next time you take them out of their charging case.
And what if you have a smaller number?
In that case, put the Buds in the charging case, make sure they are connected to your phone via Bluetooth and recognized by the Alexa app. Both headphones and case must be charged at 30% or more.
If all of those things are true, then with the box lid closed, you should find that the update will happen in half an hour or so. In my case, it took less than 10 minutes.
The version of the software you want to see.
Amazon acknowledged the problem in an email to Echo Buds owners earlier this month, saying, “The safety of our customers is our top priority. We recently determined that in very rare cases, Echo Buds may overheat in the event of Charging. As a precaution, we have released a software update that addresses this potential safety risk and improves the long-term performance of Echo Buds batteries. “
Therefore, there is also a benefit of firmware upgrade.
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