SpeakON Device TroubleshootingUpdated 6 days ago
Article type: Troubleshooting | Product: SpeakON
Before you start
A few quick checks before going through any issue below:
Make sure your iPhone is running iOS 16 or above. You can check this in Settings > General > About.
Make sure your SpeakON app is updated to the latest version.
Check that your SpeakON device firmware is up to date. You can check this in the app.
Have your SpeakON device serial number handy. It’s printed on the back and may be needed if you contact support.
Power
My SpeakON device won’t turn on
Step 1: Charge the SpeakON device for at least 30 minutes. If it was fully drained, it may not respond right away, this is normal.
Step 2: While charging, hold the Power button (back of the SpeakON device) for 2 seconds. The light should glow solid blue for 3 seconds then go off, and you should feel one long vibration.
Step 3: If there’s no response, check the USB-C port and cable for any debris.
Step 4: If it still won’t turn on after a full charge, contact support with your serial number.
My SpeakON device won’t turn off
Step 1: Hold the Power button (back of the SpeakON device) for a full 2 seconds. You should feel 1 long vibration and the light should go off.
Step 2: If it’s unresponsive, connect it to a charger and try again.
Step 3: As a last resort, perform a factory reset by holding the Power button for 10 seconds. Note: this will erase all unsent voice input and reset device settings. Your account remains linked.
Charging and Battery
My SpeakON device won’t charge
Step 1: Check the USB-C port and cable connector for any dust or debris and clean if needed.
Step 2: Try a different USB-C cable and power adapter. Use a standard 5V charger — the SpeakON device won’t charge if the voltage is too high (above 6V), which some fast chargers can trigger.
Step 3: If the battery is completely empty, the charging indicator may not appear right away. Keep it connected for at least 30 minutes before checking again.
Step 4: Make sure you’re charging in a normal room temperature environment. Charging pauses in very cold or very hot conditions (below 0°C / above 45°C).
Step 5: Check that your firmware is up to date. If the issue continues, contact support with your serial number.
Charging is taking too long
Normal full charge time is under 1.5 hours from empty. If it’s significantly longer:
Step 1: Check the cable. Use the one that came with your SpeakON device or any standard USB-C cable in good condition.
Step 2: Check your power adapter. Use one with at least 0.5A output — low-current adapters (common on older USB hubs or computer ports) charge slowly.
Step 3: Clean the USB-C port and cable connector if there’s any debris.
My battery drains quickly
Expected battery life is 10+ hours of continuous use, or 20 days on standby from a full charge.
Step 1: Make sure the SpeakON device was fully charged before use. Charging is complete when the LED turns solid green.
Step 2: Disconnect the SpeakON device from your phone (or power it off) when you’re not actively using it. Bluetooth uses battery even when idle.
Step 3: Cycle the battery once: use it until the SpeakON device shuts itself off, then charge fully until the solid green light appears, then keep charging for an extra 30 minutes before use. This helps the battery recover its full capacity.
Step 4: Check that your firmware is up to date.
Step 5: If battery life is still well below expectations after a full cycle, contact support with your serial number.
Bluetooth
My SpeakON device won’t connect or keeps disconnecting
Note: Connect through the SpeakON app only, not through your iPhone’s system Bluetooth settings. If you’re trying to pair from Settings > Bluetooth, that won’t work.
Step 1: Check the distance between your SpeakON device and your phone. Keep them close, within 1m works best (5m is the maximum).
Step 2: Check the SpeakON device battery level. Low battery causes unstable Bluetooth. Charge if the LED is showing red.
Step 3: Restart both the SpeakON device and your phone, then reconnect through the SpeakON app.
Step 4: In the app, remove the SpeakON device pairing and pair again from scratch.
Step 5: Move away from things that might cause interference, like a WiFi router or microwave. These operate on the same frequency band as Bluetooth and can disrupt the connection.
Step 6: Check your phone’s Bluetooth settings for any blocklist or blocked device entries. Clear them if needed.
Step 7: Try connecting with a different phone to see if the issue follows the SpeakON device or the phone.
Step 8: If the issue continues, contact support with your serial number, phone model, and iOS version.
File transfer is slow or fails
Step 1: Keep your SpeakON device and phone within 1m of each other during transfer. Bluetooth handles small files well at short range — distance and interference are the most common causes of slow or failed transfers.
Step 2: Check the SpeakON device battery level and charge if low.
Step 3: Move away from WiFi routers or microwaves, which share the same frequency band.
Step 4: Restart both the SpeakON device and your phone, reconnect, and try again.
Step 5: Try with a different phone to see if the issue is phone-specific.
Step 6: If large audio files consistently fail, contact support with your serial number, phone model, and the file size you were trying to transfer.
Speaking and Input
No sound, very low volume, or loud background noise in my output
Step 1: Check that nothing is covering the microphone hole on the front of the SpeakON device — not a finger, case, or object.
Step 2: Speak in a quiet environment. SpeakON picks up what’s around you as-is, so background noise will come through in the output.
Step 3: Speak close to the SpeakON device. Keep it within about 50cm (around 20 inches) for best results.
Step 4: In the app, reset your settings to defaults.
Step 5: To check if a microphone is physically damaged: cover one microphone hole while speaking and compare the output to when it’s uncovered. If covering one hole clearly changes the quality, that microphone may need attention — contact support.
If you hear consistent popping, static, or distortion that doesn’t change with distance or environment, contact support with your serial number.
My input stopped on its own
Each session runs for up to 5 minutes and then stops automatically. When this happens, the LED flashes red three times and you’ll feel one long vibration.
To continue, just press the Record button again to start a new session.
Storage
I can’t start a new session
If the LED glows solid red when you press the Record button, the SpeakON device storage is full.
Step 1: Open the SpeakON app and sync. Once your voice input is transferred to the app, it’s cleared from the SpeakON device.
Step 2: After syncing, confirm the transfer completed before starting again.
Your offline input syncs in order from oldest to newest when you reconnect to the app.
Firmware
Firmware upgrade failed or got stuck
Step 1: Check the SpeakON device battery. It needs to be at least 20% charged before starting an upgrade — low battery interrupts the Bluetooth transfer.
Step 2: Make sure the SpeakON app is on the latest version. An outdated app may not deliver the latest firmware.
Step 3: Check your network. The app downloads the firmware from a server before sending it to the SpeakON device. If one connection type isn’t working, try switching between WiFi and mobile data.
Step 4: Keep the SpeakON device within 1m of your phone throughout the upgrade. The second phase sends the package to the SpeakON device over Bluetooth, so distance matters.
Step 5: Retry with everything close together and a stable connection.
Step 6: If it consistently fails at the same point, contact support. Let us know whether it’s failing during the download or during the transfer to the SpeakON device, and include your serial number and app version.
Step 7: As a last resort, perform a factory reset by holding the Power button for 10 seconds. Note: this will erase all unsent voice input and reset device settings. Your account remains linked. After the reset, try the firmware upgrade again.
Getting help
If you’ve worked through the steps above and your issue isn’t resolved, reach out to the SpeakON support team.
It helps to have the following ready:
SpeakON device serial number (printed on the back)
Firmware version (visible in the app)
Phone model and iOS version
A short description of the issue and what you’ve already tried
SpeakON devices come with a 12-month limited warranty covering manufacturing defects and hardware issues under normal use.