Amazon warns earphones could overheat

The company has rolled out a software fix for the Echo Buds

(Credit: Amazon)

Amazon has warned that its wireless headphones may be at risk of overheating.

The Echo Buds, wireless in-ears that have the company’s voice assistant Alexa built into them, have had their temperature increase while in the charging case.

Amazon has since released a software update to address the issue, having sent an email to customers warning them of the situation.

“The safety of our customers is our top priority. We recently determined that in very rare cases it is possible for Echo Buds to overheat while in the charging case”, Amazon sent to users on 15 July, according to Android Central.

“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 software update will be applied to the headphones automatically.

To ensure they have the most recent version, users should go to the Alexa app on Android or iOS, navigate to the ‘Devices’ menu, then ‘Echo & Alexa’, then ‘Echo Buds’ and, finally, ‘About’.

If the software version number is 318119151 or later, the headphones will have received the update.

If the software version number is lower than that, put the Echo Bugs inside the charging case, connect them to your smartphone via Bluetooth and the Alexa app.

Once the earbuds and case are above 30 per cent battery, the update will be installed within half an hour.

Amazon also said the update “improves the long-term performance of Echo Buds' batteries”.

UPDATE 17.07.20: The headline to this article has been updated to clarify that the safety concerns relate to a risk of temperature increase while EchoBuds are in the charging case.