How to check for software updates for your Beats audio accessories

If you have Beats-branded audio devices, then they might have a firmware installed on it that sometimes need to be updated.

In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to check for updates for any of your supported Beats devices. Keep in mind that some Beats audio devices do not need to be updated.

Software inside of these Beats audio devices controls the drivers that deliver your sound, and as such, the software refinements can often help with a variety of things, ranging from battery life, to sound quality, to connective reliability, etc. Since most of the devices that can receive updates are wireless, it goes without saying that improving your Bluetooth connection is a common reason for software updates on these devices.

Supported devices

Among the devices that Beats offers software updates for are:

  • Beats Solo2 wireless ovn-ear headphones
  • Beats Solo3 on-ear headphones
  • Powerbeats2 wireless in-ear headphones
  • Powerbeats3 in-ear headphones
  • Beats Studio over-the-ear headphones
  • Beats Pill 2.0 speaker
  • Beats Pill+ speaker

To update a Beats audio accessory, you need to have the following:

  • A Mac with OS X Mountain Lion v10.8 or later
  • A PC with Windows 7 or later
  • An up-to-date Web browser such as Safari, Chrome, Firefox, or Internet Explorer
  • A cable to plug into your computer (Lightning or Micro-USB, whichever your accessory calls for)
  • An internet connection

How to check for a software update for your Beats

To check for a software update for any of the above Beats audio devices, you’ll need to follow these steps:

1) Download and install the Beats Updater tool on your computer.

2) Launch the tool after the installation completes.

3) Plug your Beats audio accessory into your computer with the supplied (or equivalent) cable.

4) Ensure that you have at least 20% of battery juice remaining in your Beats accessory before continuing.

5) Click on the Beats icon in your Menu Bar:

Beats updater

6) Click on the accessory in the pop-up menu that you wish to update.

7) Your web browser will launch a new tab and show you information about your Beats accessory.

Information about your Beats accessory

8) Right below the battery level, one of two things will be shown:

  1. The page will say Your software is up to date. This means you have the latest firmware installed on your Beats accessory.
  2. The page will display an Update button. This means there’s a software update that’s ready to be installed.

9) If your software is up to date, then you’re done. If you have a software update available, click on the Update button.

While your Beats product updates, you will need to follow a few additional on-screen instructions and then remain patient. The update process typically doesn’t take more than a few minutes, but this also depends on your internet connection speed and computer speed.

When you get the prompt that says the update is complete, you can unplug your Beats product and begin using it again.

What to do if the update can’t see your accessory

In some rare cases, the Beats Updater tool may fail to see your Beats audio accessory. If this is the case, check into the following possibilities:

Ensure your cable is secure

It’s possible that your cable is not plugged in all the way or isn’t making a good electrical connection between your accessory and your computer. Try unplugging and plugging the cable back in to see if this changes the situation.

Use another USB port

Perhaps the USB port on your computer is malfunctioning. If you’re using a hub, then the hub may not be performing as expected. Try another USB port on your computer to see if this resolves the issue.

Turn it off and on again

Turn your Beats accessory off and on again. Sometimes when you plug it in while it’s still on, things may not work as expected. Although rare, this can happen from time to time.

Are your Beats authentic?

There are a lot of very good copies of Beats products on Ebay and other third-party stores, and believe it or not, it’s very hard to tell the difference between authentic and counterfeit Beats products. If your Beats audio device is not authentic, then it won’t work properly with the Beats software updater. Try calling Apple to have them verify your serial number.

Contact Beats or Apple

If nothing is working, you should be able to call Beats or Apple for customer support. They’ll be able to point you in the right direction.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, Beats audio devices don’t stay updated automatically like Apple’s AirPods do. This is likely to increase the appeal of Apple’s own walled garden of devices rather than to make a sister product look just as good. On the other hand, it’s still good to know exactly how to keep your stuff up to date, especially if you chose Beats over AirPods for sound quality purposes.

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Were you able to get your Beats audio devices up to date by way of these steps? Share in the comments below!