TWS In OTA-Land: How Updates Are Changing True Wireless Landscape

For all their quirks, TWS software updates are now increasingly becoming a part of our tech lives.

When buying smartphones, an increasing number of consumers have started asking this before taking a call — "Does it get over-the-air (OTA) software/firmware updates?" The reason for this is simple: to have a smartphone whose software (or firmware) is regularly updated, works better, and lasts longer than one that remains on an older version. Software updates not only improve security and general device performance (by fixing bugs and other issues) but sometimes even add new features to the device, giving it a whole new dimension. 

For instance, the Nothing OS 1.5.2 update released for the Nothing Phone (1) adds a number of features to the device, including an all-new weather app and a number of ringtones and notification sounds. Purchasing a phone with a good software update record generally makes good sense. 

Yes, TWS Earbuds Get Updates Too

And if recent times are any indication, checking the software update record makes good sense if you are purchasing true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds too. This might surprise some, as in the past earbuds, whether wired or otherwise, generally did not receive software updates, unless there was something seriously wrong with them that needed fixing. 

That, however, has been changing in recent times. As is so often the case, Apple is credited with making software updates on TWS a thing, particularly when it added the spatial audio feature to the AirPods Pro more than a year after the buds had been released. 

Although other brands were initially slow to get on to the TWS software update bandwagon, a large number of them now bring new features to their buds with software updates long after they have been launched. 

In fact, the past few months have seen a number of brands add new features to their TWS through OTA (over-the-air) software updates. 

For instance, Sennheiser brought multi-device connectivity to its Momentum True Wireless 3 a few months after its launch via a software update. Similarly, Samsung recently added 3D stereo recording to its flagship Galaxy Buds 2 Pro a few weeks ago. 

Software updates to TWS after their launch have become so accepted that many brands actually launch earbuds with the promise of features that will be added to them in the coming days. 

While launching the Buds Pro 2, OnePlus hyped a special tuning ("Soundscape") for the buds by legendary music composer Hans Zimmer. The fact was that the tuning was actually not available at the time of launch and is expected to arrive later through a software update. 

Similarly, even the mighty Google talked of spatial audio on the Pixel Buds Pro but has brought the feature to the buds well after its launch. 

Being A Part Of An Ecosystem

This fondness for OTA updates also stems from the efforts of brands to create ecosystems of their own, of which the TWS are a part. 

Just as spatial audio on the AirPods works best with an iPhone or any other Apple device, 3D stereo recording on the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro is especially tailored to work at its best with Samsung Galaxy devices. 

In fact, some TWS like the Nothing Ear (1) and the OnePlus Buds series do not even require additional software when paired with supported phones from their own brands. In these cases, the TWS updates are even sometimes delivered as part of an update to the phone itself. 

That said, third-party TWS manufacturers like Jabra, Sony, and Sennheiser have also been upping their update game, making fixes and new features available across devices. 

Can Squash Bugs, Might Cause Bugs…But Are Here To Stay

It is not all milk and honey in the land of TWS updates, though. In some cases, updates actually have an adverse effect on the performance of a device. 

This happened most famously in the case of a software update for the AirPods Pro in 2019 which many users claimed had actually led to its active noise cancellation becoming less effective. 

And just as in the case of phone software updates, sometimes TWS updates do not install in a clean manner. There is also increasing concern in some quarters that brands are using the promise of updates to release products that are actually not finished in the true sense of the word. It is also noticeable that TWS software updates are more prevalent in the mid- and upper-price segments of the market at the time of writing, so you should not expect too many improvements or tweaks if you have bought a TWS for below Rs 2,000. 

Finally, TWS updates are often inconvenient as they involve tying up a phone or other device in a download and then updating the TWS from that device. It is one more thing to update. 

Still, for all their quirks, TWS software updates are now increasingly becoming a part of our tech lives. And if you are purchasing a TWS that is priced in the vicinity of Rs 10,000 or above, you would be well-advised to check two things. 

Firstly, if the features advertised to be in the TWS are actually available out of the box or will be delivered "via a software update" in the coming days.

Secondly, if the brand behind the TWS has a good record in delivering software updates that improve the performance of the product. They might still be a largely upper mid-segment and premium phenomenon, but TWS have well and truly landed in OTA-land.