Amazon has begun sending emails out to owners of its Echo Buds true wireless earbuds, cautioning those customers to update the device firmware as soon as possible to avoid a “potential safety risk.”
A new firmware update addresses this problem, and helps ensure that headphone batteries last as long as possible, by making charging more efficient. Here’s how you can install it.
“We recently determined that in rare cases it’s possible for Echo Buds to overheat while in the charging case,” reads an email Amazon distributed to Echo Buds owners on Wednesday.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we have released a software update that addresses this potential safety risk and improves the long-term performance of Echo Buds’ batteries.”
The new firmware is actually installed automatically, but you need to ensure that your Echo Buds and smartphone (or tablet) are connected and remain connected long enough for the update to be installed.
As long as you have firmware 318119151 or above, you should be in the clear. To check what software your Echo Buds are running, open your Alexa app and go to Devices, then Echo and Alexa, then Echo Buds, and finally pick “About.”
Amazon automatically applies updates when your Echo Buds are paired to your phone. But if you don’t have the latest update yet, here’s how to initiate it:
· Open the lid of the case with the Echo Buds inside and confirm that they are connected to Bluetooth on your phone and the Alexa app
· Check that your Echo Buds and case are at least 30 percent charged
· Close the case lid with the Echo Buds inside, and keep within Bluetooth range of your phone for 30 minutes
· Check that the software version is 318119151 or higher, following the instructions above
It seems a bug in earlier versions of the Echo Buds firmware allowed the headphones to charge a little too quickly, which can cause them to overheat. But Amazon insists this happens only in rare cases.
It’s likely that your Echo Buds are safe, then, but it is recommended that all users allow the latest firmware update to be installed as soon as possible to avoid the risk, and to prolong the lifespan of their batteries.
