Sony WF-1000XM4: Latest firmware update may worsen battery life for some earbuds

[Redaktion]

Sony has delivered a new firmware update for the WF-1000XM4 to tackle battery drain issues. Rolling out in Asia first, it seems that firmware V1.6.1 could actually reduce battery life for some WF-1000XM4 units, which may need servicing if certain conditions are met.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Sony-WF-1000XM4-Latest-firmware-update-may-worsen-battery-life-for-some-earbuds.673097.0.html

[Michal]

My XM4s have had terrible battery life after the 1.6 update. I thought it was because I turned on Hey Google recognition but even after turning it off and doing a factory reset it has only gotten worse. My left earbud is completely fine and lasts many hours. But my right earbud can only last around 40 minutes now. Every month since the update the battery time went down by at least an hour.

[monad]

Bought a pair last year in Japan. Moved to Portugal this year so I'm screwed. Right one completely died and the battery expanded popping open the shell. These things are a fire hazard.

[Stuza]

Bought a pair last year in Japan. Moved to Portugal this year so I'm screwed. Right one completely died and the battery expanded popping open the shell. These things are a fire hazard.

I bought mine from Amazon US and live in Philippines. Although warranty is NOT international they are replacing them without question.

[Stuza]

Couple of things that are not quite right.

1 this actually started with 1.4.2
2 patch 1.5 clearly states that it is to address this issue in the patch notes
3 some users have reported this (1.5) fixing the issue however some have said no change
4 they ARE resolving out of warranty buds without question - I speak from personal experience as mine are being replaced free of charge and are out of warranty (different country). By the way, they are replacing with New buds, not repairing.

[Brent Fraliex]

Yeah I've noticed since a recent firmware update that my left earbud's battery life drops from 100% to 60% then instantly to 0% after 12-14 minutes of playtime.

But only my left earbud.

My right earbud performance is closer to expected.

[Rick]

1.6.1 made it worse, it introduced new bugs, my left earbud is malfunctioning, It turns off automatically after few minutes when I'm using it, also I couldn't hear the blip sound when I'm tapping it either, all taps features are not working, voice notification when starting up (battery fully charged, bluetooth connected, low battery please recharge.. , etc) are gone.

[Diogo]

I've jumped form 1.4.2 to 2.0 (Brazil) and may terrible 1,5h of playing on right bud get worst. Now it isn't lasting 30min. It's a shame.