Users complain about Samsung's earables overheating, beeping with exposure to direct sunlight
Anecdotal reports from users of Samsung's wireless Galaxy Buds, Galaxy Buds+, and the new Galaxy Buds Live indicate that the earables all have a history of heating up and beeping once exposed to direct sunlight. The beeping should be considered a warning that the device is overheating and occurs when the outside temperature is in the range of 90-degrees to 100-degrees Fahrenheit.
On Reddit, one Galaxy Buds user said, "Well I bought the new Galaxy Buds and for the meantime I've been using them. Everytime I use them, after a while (around an hour of straight use) they started to heat up and feel warm. Does anyone else experience it? And do you know if it's normal for headphones like them or not?" Another consumer wrote the following on the Galaxy Community forum about his Galaxy Buds+, "The problem is that you can't use them in direct sunlight. If I use them on a cloudy day or out of direct sunlight, they work fine with no issues. However, if I use them on a bright sunny day and the sun is shining on one of the buds, it will start beeping every 5 to 10 seconds until you (sic) point it away from the sun, which effectively renders them useless. I have experimented with this by pointing each bud at the sun while in my ear and only the bud in direct sunlight starts to beep. If I block the sun out they do not beep. Other Bluetooth headsets do not beep when subjected to the same conditions. I suspect Samsung will deny any knowledge of this issue as they usually do, but I am convinced that this is the root cause of the issue many people are reporting."
Since the Galaxy Buds Live are the newest models, we should include some comments from those who have purchased the latest and greatest earbuds from the manufacturer. On Reddit, a user named Gharrrrrr wrote about his experience with the Galaxy Buds Live. He said, "This happened to me. It has been 100°F or more the last few days. I just got my brand new Buds Live. I was walking down the street and they started to beep in my ear. No idea why. First one ear. Then the other. Just non stop beeping. Finally put them away. When I got home and did a search and found it to be a common problem with Galaxy buds. My left one started first because it was the one in direct sunlight. I was able to reproduce it. Put them on. Went outside.
At the 4 minute mark one bud started beeping. By the 6 minute mark both were sounding alarm bells. I walked back inside my apartment where the AC was blasting. With in a minute they stopped. Repeated it and got same results. The real kicker for me is that there is no information from Samsung about this. No heads up in the manual or app that says "hey, just a warning, don't expose these to direct sunlight on a hot day or else they will start to beep nonstop until they cool down." I'm planning on sending mine back for a service/repair. If that can't fix them then I will be returning them and getting something different."
Another Galaxy Buds Live user wrote, "The same happened to me, start with the beep and is annoying, fair quickly, I need to take it off and wait couple of minutes and then its ok." It seems that this has been a problem with Samsung’s wireless earbuds from the beginning all the way to the latest model.
The beeping surely gets the attention of those wearing the wireless earbuds, and once the buds cool down, as most users attest to, the beeping stops. If you live in a market where the temperature is always very high, the constant beeping is going to be a major issue preventing you from using the accessory properly.
Samsung has yet to release a statement and when it does, we will update this story. As for now, you might want to wait to hear what the manufacturer says before purchasing one of Sammy's in-ear wireless buds.
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