iOS Archives

4 ways to check Galaxy Buds Live battery level

Bluetooth headphones, noise cancelling headphones, wireless earbuds

When using (or planning to use) the earbuds for an extended period, you may want to know Galaxy Buds Live battery level to see whether you need to charge it now for continuous usage in the next few hours.

This Galaxy Buds Live guide explains 4 different ways to check Galaxy Buds Live battery level and the charging case battery level in both Android and iOS devices, including:

Using Galaxy Wearable app (or Samsung Galaxy Buds app on iOS).
Using LED colours in the charging case..
From Bluetooth settings in Android devices.
Using Galaxy Buds Live widget on Android devices (or the Battery widget in iOS devices).

Method 1: Check Galaxy Buds Live battery level and charging case battery level in Galaxy Wearable app (or Galaxy Buds app on iOS)

As explained in this guide, you can manage and customize Galaxy Buds Live in the Galaxy Wearable app (with the Galaxy Buds Live plugin).

In the app, you can also check the battery level of Galaxy Buds Live and the charging case, as shown in the screenshot below.

Check Galaxy Buds Live battery level and charging case battery level in Galaxy Wearable app (or Galaxy Buds app on iOS) — Galaxy Buds Live battery level in Galaxy Wearable app.

For example, as shown in the screenshot below, the L and R earbuds are fully charged (100%). The charging case has 55% battery left.

On iOS devices, the corresponding app is the Samsung Galaxy Buds app. You can find similar information, as shown in the screenshot below.

Of course, you can check the battery level of Galaxy Buds Live in the app only when the buds are connected to the device.

Galaxy Buds Live battery level in Samung Galaxy Buds app in iPhone — Galaxy Buds Live battery level in Samsung Galaxy Buds app in iPhone.

Method 2: Estimate Galaxy Buds Live battery level and charging case battery level from LED colours

If the buds are not connected to any devices, the only way to estimate Galaxy Buds Live battery level and charging case battery level is through the LED light colours.

When you open the charging case, the earbud battery indicator LED, as shown below, will light up automatically with 2 possible colours.

The LED light does not tell you exactly the better level. Instead, it tells you the charging “status” of the buds:

Green. It means the buds are fully charged.
Red. It means the buds are being charged.
Flashing red, if charging is blocked due to abnormal temperatures.
No light. It means the buds run out of

… Read the rest

How to manage Galaxy Buds Live in Galaxy Wearable App?

Bluetooth headphones, noise cancelling headphones, sports headphones, wireless earbuds

Although you can use the Galaxy Buds Live as standalone wireless earbuds, some settings and customization, as well as firmware updates, can only be performed through the Galaxy Wearable app on Android devices (or Galaxy Buds app on iPhone).

This Galaxy Buds Live guide explains how to use the Galaxy Buds Live plugin in the Galaxy Wearable app to manage, customize, and update Galaxy Buds Live. The feature differences between Galaxy Wearable for Android and Galaxy Buds for iPhone are also discussed.

What's Galaxy Wearable? Why do you need it?

It is impractical for small gadgets like Galaxy Buds Live to configure all settings in the tiny space. So, you need an app to offload some of the functions from the buds.

Meanwhile, as standalone Bluetooth earbuds, there is no way to update the firmware. You need a “host” (or agent) to download the update and transfer it to the earbuds.

Galaxy Wearable is Samsung's app to manage their wearables, including Galaxy Buds (Galaxy Buds, Galaxy Buds+, Galaxy Buds Live, Galaxy Buds Pro, and Galaxy Buds 2) and Galaxy Watch.

On iOS, the Galaxy Buds app supports a few selected buds (Galaxy Buds Plus and Galaxy Buds Live only, to be precise). In this guide, we will first focus on the Galaxy Wearable app. Galaxy Buds app will be briefly discussed later.

Each device, for example, Galaxy Buds Live, needs a plugin inside the Galaxy Wearable app. But you do not install these plugins manually. When you add a new device in Galaxy Wearable, the corresponding plugin will be installed automatically.

Galaxy Wearable is always pre-installed on all Galaxy devices (e.g., Galaxy S21 and Galaxy Note 20). So you do not need to install them. If you are using other Android phones, you have to install the app from the Play store.

How to use Galaxy Wearable to manage Galaxy Buds Live?

Galaxy Wearable (with Galaxy Buds Live plugin) lets you manage and customize Galaxy Buds live. For example,

Connect (add) Galaxy Buds Live to the phone through Galaxy Wearable.
Remove Galaxy Buds Live from the phone.
Customize Galaxy Buds Live.
Update Galaxy Buds Live firmware.
Find/locate Galaxy Buds Live.
Check battery level of the Galaxy Buds Live and the charging case.

Connect (add) Galaxy Buds Live to the phone

You can connect Galaxy Buds Live to the phone through … Read the rest

Galaxy Buds Pro vs Galaxy Buds Live: what’s new in Galaxy Buds Pro?

Bluetooth headphones, noise cancelling headphones, Samsung Galaxy Buds, sports headphones, wireless earbuds

With Galaxy S21, Samsung released the new wireless earbuds: Galaxy Buds Pro in January 2020 as an upgrade for Galaxy Buds+. This causes some confusions on Galaxy Buds' lineup because Galaxy Buds Live (released with Galaxy Note 20 in August 2020) is also an upgrade for Galaxy Buds+. So, how about Galaxy Buds Pro vs Galaxy Buds Live?

This earbuds guide explains the new features of Galaxy Buds Pro (vs Galaxy Buds Live): traditional fit/shape, IPX7 rating, Voice Detect, ambient sound, 360 Audio, Auto Switch. Based on the comparison of Galaxy Buds Pro vs Galaxy Buds Live, you may also understand which earbuds are the right one to meet your needs.

The differences among Galaxy Buds Live, Galaxy Buds+, and Galaxy Buds were explained in detail here (Galaxy Buds Live vs Galaxy Buds+) and here (Galaxy Buds+ vs Galaxy Buds). The layout of Galaxy Buds Live can be found here.

Galaxy Buds Pro and Galaxy Buds Live share similar active noise cancelling (ANC), similar battery life, similar audio quality, and similar microphone quality. This guide tries to highlight the new features of Galaxy Buds Pro vs Galaxy Buds Live.

For all Galaxy Buds models and their key features, please check the Galaxy Buds History page.

Traditional fit/shape

Galaxy Buds Pro looks more like Galaxy Buds+ than the bean-shaped Galaxy Buds Live.

The more traditional ear tip design offers a better seal for the earbuds' sound from ambient noise. You can choose an ear tip of different sizes to fit your ear. It also makes active noise cancellation more effective.

However, some users may feel it is less comfortable compared to Galaxy Buds Live. Galaxy Buds 3, with a stem and open-ear design, is the successor to Galaxy Buds Live

The bean-shaped Galaxy Buds Live is usually more comfortable for wearing for a long time. But it seems a few owners find the Galaxy Buds Live does not fit their ears well, and, therefore, it may cause pain. The wingtip on Galaxy Buds Live offers minor support, and many owners are not aware of the different sizes of wingtips in the box.

Anway, Galaxy Buds Pro returned to the traditional shape and improved the fit and comfort over Galaxy Buds+. If you re looking for an even lighter version of Galaxy Buds Pro, you may try Galaxy Buds 2, Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, Galaxy Buds … Read the rest

5 best new features and improvements of Galaxy Buds Plus (Galaxy Buds+ vs Galaxy Buds)

Bluetooth headphones, wireless earbuds

Galaxy Buds+ (Galaxy Buds Plus) may look physically similar (almost identical) to the 2019 version of Samsung Galaxy Buds. But there are many new features and improvements of Galaxy Buds Plus (vs Galaxy Buds).

This wireless earbuds guide explains the five best new features and improvements of Galaxy Buds Plus: longer battery life (11-hour non-stop playtime ), 2-way speaker. 3-microphone system, Spotify integration, and the Galaxy Buds+ app for iOS.

Although Galaxy Buds Plus was announced together with Galaxy S20, it works with all Android devices with Android 5 (Andriod Lollipop) or newer versions and most iOS devices. You can also use Galaxy Buds Plus as a universal Bluetooth headphone on almost all platforms with Bluetooth audio support.

Of course, like Galaxy Buds, Galaxy Buds+ works best with Samsung Galaxy phones with Android Nougat 7.1 or later with the Samsung Scalable Codec. Samsung Seamless Codec, the new generation of Scalable Codec is currently only supported on Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. You may check this guide on Bluetooth codecs for wireless earbuds.

Galaxy Buds Live, Galaxy Buds Pro, and Galaxy Buds 2 (all with active noise cancelling) were released as an upgrade for Galaxy Buds Plus.

Longer battery life: the best improvement of Galaxy Buds Plus

Samsung Galaxy Buds already has a decent battery time. You can use the buds for about 6 hours in one charge. The charging case offers an additional 6 hours of playtime.

Now, Samsung further improved the battery life for the Galaxy Buds+ for about 50%.

You can continuously use the Galaxy Buds+ for more than 11 hours in one charge. The charging base gives another 11+ hours.

In addition to the longer battery life, Samsung Galaxy Buds+ also charges faster. You can use the Galaxy Buds+ for one hour after charging it for 3 minutes. As a comparison, you need to charge the Galaxy Buds 15 mins to get a battery life of 100 mins.

Anyway, no other wireless earbuds can match the battery life of Galaxy Buds Plus currently. We consider the longer battery life is one of the best new features and improvements of Galaxy Buds Plus.

Please note, you can ow check the battery level of the earbuds and the charging case with a widget on your Android phone.

2-way speaker

The tiny Galaxy Buds+ now features a 2-way speaker, which is seldom … Read the rest

Top 10 new features of AirPods Pro (vs AirPods 2)

Bluetooth headphones, noise cancelling headphones, wireless earbuds

AirPods Pro is the lastest wireless earbuds offered by Apple. It complements AirPods 2 in the high-end market with some useful new features.

This wireless earbuds guide explains the top 10 new features of AirPods Pro (compared to AirPods 2): active noise canceling (ANC), wireless charging, in-ear design, transparency mode, force sensor, adaptive EQ, Sweat and water resistance with IPX4 rating, ear tip test, secure fit, and a $249 price tag.

Please note, the direct competitor to AirPods Pro is Sony WF-1000XM3, which offers better noise-cancelling and better audio quality (at $229). Samsung Galaxy Buds Live offers similar features with a lower price tag. Samsung Gallaxy Buds+ offers better battery life and cheaper price. Jabra Elite Sport offers a heart rate monitor and a companion workout app (Jabra Sport Life).

AirPods 3 (2021), the successor of AirPods 2, is the cheap alternative to AirPods Pro without active noise cancelling and transparency mode, as explained in this post.

AirPods Pro 2 (the 2nd Gen of AirPods Pro) now replaces AirPods Pro with some new features and improvements.

With the release of iOS 17, some new features were added to AirPods Pro, AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 3, and AirPods Max. You can now use the force sensor to mute and mute during a call.

#1.Active noise canceling (ANC): the best new feature of AirPods Pro

As explained in this guide in detail, active noise canceling (ANC) uses special sound waves to cancel the ambient noise and, therefore gives you an immersive and quiet listening experience.

Bose and Sony are the indisputable industrial leaders in ANC for consumer headphones. It is unclear whether Apple licensed some technology from third parties or developed their own ANC technology in-house.

If you compare AirPods Pro with Sony WF-1000XM3, Sony is a clear winner in most situations. Please do NOT compare AirPods Pro with the first generation of WF-1000, whose noise canceling was a failure.

Samsung also offers a bunch of wireless earbuds with active noise-cancelling, including Galaxy Buds Live, Galaxy Buds Pro, and Galaxy Buds 2.

Anyway, for many Apple users, ANC is probably new to them. They will enjoy this feature gradually.

Please note, if you want to get better ANC, you may consider an over-ear headphone, like Sony WH-1000XM3, Bose Quite 35, or Bose 700.

#2. Transparency mode

Transparency mode is the opposite of … Read the rest

iOS