[Updated] Sony WF-1000XM4 severe battery drain & overheating issues persist months later, potential workaround inside

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on Jan. 30, 2023) follows:

The WF-1000XM4 truly wireless headphones raise the bar in terms of noise cancellation and music quality. They provide an outstanding listening experience that is personalized to each individual listener.

The earbuds recognize when you are stationary, moving, or in a noisy environment and switch to ANC or Hear-through mode for you.

However, some people are having difficulties using them.

According to multiple reports, Sony WF-1000XM4 users face battery drain and overheating issues with their devices (1,2).

Users began reporting high battery drain on the WF-1000XM4 earbuds issue about 5 months ago. At the time, the culprit appeared to be the 1.4.2 update.

Another alarming symptom noticed by several users was that the affected earphones became hotter than expected while charging in the case.

As their earphones were still under warranty, users contacted Sony and received new devices.

While some people did not experience these problems, there were a few others whose warranty-replacement pair (Which came with v1.5.0) had this issues.

Mine were absolutely fine. They’re about 10 months old. No battery drain or Un-even discharge on any side. About 2 weeks ago i updated to 1.6.1 just to be on the safe side. Then the issues started. My left bud now drains 15-20% faster than the right one
Source

I just got a pair of WF-1000XMFs. I turned them off in the app with 100% battery and didn’t put them back in their charging cradle on purpose, as I wanted to see if the uneven battery issue had been fixed by a reset. However, the next day their battery levels were at 40% (they weren’t touched and the bluetooth on my phone was not on). Later in the evening, they were dead.
Source

Sony allegedly released a new firmware update in December of last year to reduce battery drain issues. But it looks like things haven’t changed much.

Now Sony USA appears to have established a common process for addressing these RMAs with the following list of questions:

1. Have you tried the reset process?
2. Is the unit getting hot while charging?
3. Is the red light blinking on the unit?

Additionally, replacements are being honored outside of the standard warranty period.

A user has proposed a potential fix for this issue that involves downgrading to pre-v1.4.2 firmware. Use this tool to do so:

We hope Sony looks into WF-1000XM4 severe battery drain and overheating issues and resolve them as quickly as possible.

As always, we will keep an eye on the situation and update this space as new information becomes available, so stay tuned.

01:25 pm (IST): While a new firmware update is available, it does not seem to fix the issue, as reported by some users.

Note: We have more such stories in our dedicated Sony section so be sure to follow them as well.

Featured image source: Sony

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