HUAWEI FreeBuds Support

HUAWEI FreeBuds Support

Start Your Journey with FreeBuds

Use your FreeBuds with your phone or watch

With just a few taps, you can pair your FreeBuds with your mobile device, and get the most out of your music wherever you are.

Connecting FreeBuds to your phone

Bluetooth Pairing

1. Open the charging case, press and hold the button on the case for 2 seconds until the indicator light flashes white to enter the pairing mode.

2. Pairing through Bluetooth : Enable Bluetooth on your phone, and search for nearby Bluetooth devices. When the name corresponding to your FreeBuds appears, touch it to pair.

Proximity pairing : When your phone screen is on, move your FreeBuds near your phone. A prompt will appear asking if you want to connect. Touch CONNECT  to complete the one-step connection.

3. When the pairing is successful, or has failed due to timeout, the indicator will turn off.

Disconnecting

To disconnect your FreeBuds from your phone, place both FreeBuds in the case, then close the case. The FreeBuds will disconnect after 5 seconds. Alternatively, you can disable Bluetooth on the connected phone.

Automatic reconnection

To reconnect to the phone you paired with last time, you just need to open the charging case.

To reconnect to another previously paired phone, select your FreeBuds’ Bluetooth name on the phone you want to connect them to.

• The proximity connection prompt is supported on devices running EMUI 10.0 or later.

Connecting FreeBuds to your watch

Pair your FreeBuds with your watch and listen to your favorite tracks and podcasts while you work out.

To connect through Bluetooth, perform the following

1. Open the charging case, press and hold the button on the case for 2 seconds until the indicator light flashes white to enter the pairing mode.

2. Switch the audio channel to the FreeBuds: Press the Up button on your watch, and go to  Settings > Earbuds. You can also swipe down from the watch’s home screen and touch  Music. On the music screen, touch the icon in the lower right corner, and select  Earbuds.

3. On the Bluetooth device list on your watch, select FreeBuds and complete the pairing as prompted.

For more information, see our guide to Playing Music on your watch.

• The FreeBuds do not support voice calls when paired with a watch. If you answer an incoming call on your watch, the audio channel will switch to the watch’s speaker. To make voice calls using your FreeBuds, pair them with your phone and answer calls from there.

FreeBuds bring you a new wireless experience by making pairing and connecting easier than ever.

Charge your FreeBuds promptly

The indicators on the FreeBuds 3 charging case show the battery level of both the earbuds and the case. This means you can charge them as soon as the power starts running low.

How to tell the battery power from the indicator color

There are two indicators on the FreeBuds 3 charging case.

The inner indicator shows the battery level of the earbuds.

Indicator Status   Description

 Battery level is higher than 60%.

 Battery level is between 20% and 60%.

 Battery level is lower than 20%.

 The earbuds are in Pairing mode.

 The earbuds have been restored to their factory settings.

Indicator

The outer indicator shows the battery level of the charging case.

Indicator Status   Description

When charging   Battery level is higher than 90%.

 Battery level is less than 90%.

When not charging   Battery level is higher than 60%.

 Battery level is between 20% and 60%.

 Battery level is less than 20%.

Charging your earbuds and charging case

To charge your earbuds : Place your earbuds into the charging case. They will start to charge automatically.

To charge the case, do the following:

Wired charging: Connect the charging case to a USB-C charger.

Wireless charging: Place the charging case on a compatible wireless charger with the HUAWEI logo facing up.

Using your phone to reverse charge the case

If your phone supports wireless reverse charging, you can use it to charge the charging case. Before you start, make sure your phone’s battery level is higher than 20% and it is not in  Ultra Power Saving mode.

*Models which support wireless reverse charging include Mate 20 Pro, P30 Pro, and Mate 30 Pro. For more information, visit the HUAWEI website.

Do the following:

1.On your phone, go to  Settings > Battery, and enable  Wireless Reverse Charging.

2. When the case is powered on and the lid is open, place it against the back of your phone in the centre.

*If the case does not start charging within 5 seconds, adjust its position and try again. If the case is not in contact with your phone for more than 2 minutes, it will stop charging.

*Do not use the device when it is being charged.

*Charge the earphones at least once every three months to avoid damaging the battery.

*Make sure the charger you are using provides a minimum output power of 5 V/500 mA. For fast charging, use a standard charger with a charging current greater than 1.2 A.

Thanks to the FreeBuds 3 charging case’s two indicators, you’ll always know how much battery the earbuds and case have left.

Cannot connect

How to resolve pairing and connection issues of your FreeBuds:

If your FreeBuds cannot pair with your phone/tablet, your can resolve the issue based on the following situations.

If a connection failure prompt is displayed

If a prompt is displayed indicating that the connection has failed, go to Settings > Bluetooth, find the name of your FreeBuds in the  AVAILABLE DEVICES  list, pair with the FreeBuds, then perform the following:

Set your FreeBuds to enter pairing mode, and place your phone/tablet within 1 meter of your FreeBuds, to ensure that your FreeBuds can be found on your phone/tablet. Disconnect your FreeBuds from a nearby phone/tablet if they have been paired before, then set your FreeBuds to enter pairing mode again.

If your phone/tablet has connected to a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network, which is also used for Bluetooth connections, the Wi-Fi connection may be interfering with the Bluetooth connection when they are used at the same time. To resolve the issue, disable Wi-Fi on your phone/tablet, initiate a connection with your FreeBuds again, and then enable Wi-Fi.

If your FreeBuds cannot be found on your phone/tablet

If the name corresponding to your FreeBuds cannot be found in the  AVAILABLE DEVICES  list on your phone/tablet, perform the following:

The FreeBuds may have paired with your phone/tablet before. Unpair from the FreeBuds on the device you are using, and then pair with them again.

Enable Bluetooth on your phone/tablet, place it near your FreeBuds (which are inside the case), and then press and hold the button on the case for 2s to enter the pairing mode.

Clean the charging contact points of the FreeBuds and remove any foreign objects from the charging case. Place the FreeBuds in the case and close the case, and then press and hold the button on the case to enter pairing mode. After that, search for and pair with your FreeBuds on your phone/tablet again.

Disable and then enable Bluetooth on your phone/tablet, restart your phone/tablet, or restore your FreeBuds to their factory settings.

• To restore FreeBuds 3 to their factory settings, place both FreeBuds in the charging case, and then press and hold the Function button for 10s until the indicator flashes red. The pairing data of the FreeBuds will be cleared from your phone/tablet.

If your FreeBuds cannot automatically reconnect after opening the

charging case

The phone/tablet you are using is not the most recently connected device with the FreeBuds. By default, the FreeBuds will automatically reconnect to the most recently connected device. In this case, reconnect to the FreeBuds on the device you are using.

Pairing with the FreeBuds has been canceled on your phone/tablet. Please set the FreeBuds to enter pairing mode and connect to them again.

Your phone/tablet has exceeded the Bluetooth range (10 m) of your FreeBuds, or there are obstacles between them. Place the FreeBuds close to your phone/tablet and open the charging case, or re-enable Bluetooth on your phone/tablet and try again.

Clean the charging contact points of the FreeBuds and charging case to ensure that the FreeBuds are able to detect when the case is open.

Place the FreeBuds inside the case, charge them to a suitable level, and then try again.

If the issue cannot be resolved, take your device and proof of purchase to an authorized HUAWEI Customer Service Center for assistance.

The preceding solutions are for your reference when handling common FreeBuds connection issues.

Sound and volume issues

What to do if your FreeBuds don’t work properly when playing audio?

If you encounter the following issues while using FreeBuds, you can refer to solutions as suggested below.

If audio from your FreeBuds freezes or no sound is played for a short

while

Check the volume settings

The connected phone/tablet may have been muted, resulting in you being unable to hear any sound from your FreeBuds. Check the volume settings on your phone/tablet and adjust the volume to an appropriate level.

Check the connected Bluetooth device

Your phone/tablet may have been connected to two Bluetooth devices at the same time, and your FreeBuds are the first connected device. In this case, audio on your phone/tablet will be played from the second connected device by default, resulting in your FreeBuds not playing any sound. It is recommended that you disconnect your FreeBuds from your phone/tablet, place your FreeBuds back into the charging case, close the charging case and open it after 5 seconds, and then connect your FreeBuds to your phone/tablet again. Alternatively, disconnect your phone/tablet from any other Bluetooth devices it is currently connected to.

Move away from sources of strong interference

You may be in an environment with strong signal interference, such as in an airport, railway station, or metro. In this case, the Bluetooth connection of your FreeBuds may be interfered by electromagnetic waves around you, resulting in no sound being played from your FreeBuds. It is recommended that you check the surrounding environment and keep your Bluetooth devices away from sources of strong electromagnetic interference.

Ensure that your phone/tablet is within the Bluetooth range of your FreeBuds

Your phone/tablet may have exceeded the Bluetooth range of your FreeBuds (10 meters), or there are obstacles between them, resulting in the sound from your FreeBuds freezing or no sound being heard for a short period of time. It is recommended that you keep your phone/tablet within the Bluetooth range of your FreeBuds and remove any obstacles between them.

Check the battery level of your FreeBuds

The battery level of your FreeBuds may be low or they may have run out of battery, resulting in your FreeBuds being unable to play audio properly. Use any of the following methods to check the battery level of your FreeBuds and charge them promptly.

On the notification bar of your phone/tablet , a battery icon for your FreeBuds will be displayed after you have connected your FreeBuds and phone/tablet, which indicates the remaining battery power of your FreeBuds.

• You may be unable to view the battery level of your FreeBuds from the status bar on some non-HUAWEI phones or tablets that run Android.

On the connection prompt , the battery level of your FreeBuds will be displayed as a percentage after your FreeBuds are successfully connected to a phone/tablet running EMUI 10.0 or later.

• The following models running EMUI lite versions do not support connection prompts with your FreeBuds: HUAWEI 9/ HUAWEI 8/HUAWEI Y6 or earlier editions.

Firmware update

How to update the firmware of your FreeBuds?

If you need to update the firmware of your FreeBuds or resolve an issue during the update, you can try the following solutions.

How to update the firmware of your FreeBuds

Update from the system settings

1. Pair your FreeBuds with your phone before the update.

2. On your phone, go to  Settings > Bluetooth, find the name of your FreeBuds, and touch   next to it. Touch  Check for updates  to enter the Firmware update  screen. If an update is available, follow the onscreen instructions to complete the update.

• EMUI 10.0/Magic UI 3.0 or later versions are required.

Update via the AI Life app

1. Open the  AI Life  app.

2. Connect your FreeBuds to your phone and place them inside the charging case, leave the charging case open, then select the corresponding card for your FreeBuds to access the settings screen of your FreeBuds.

3. Touch  Update  to access the update screen. Touch  Check for updates  and  Download and install  if a new version is available.

4. After your FreeBuds are updated, close the charging case and wait for 10 minutes for the case to be automatically updated.

• The preceding methods use FreeBuds 3 as an example. The actual update method will vary depending on your device model.

How to resolve issues encountered when updating your FreeBuds

If Bluetooth disconnects during the firmware update or the update fails, perform the following:

Charge your FreeBuds promptly

The Bluetooth connection will be interrupted if the battery level of your FreeBuds is low, which will result in an update failure. Fully charge your FreeBuds and try again.

Place your FreeBuds near your phone/tablet

If your phone/tablet is far away from your FreeBuds or there are obstacles between them, the Bluetooth connection will become unstable and the update of your FreeBuds will be affected. Place your phone/tablet within 50 cm of your FreeBuds and try again.

Perform the update again as prompted

You may have missed a step required for performing the update, such as leaving the case open after placing your FreeBuds inside. Please follow the onscreen instructions step by step and perform the update again.

Move away from sources of strong interference

You may be in an environment with strong electromagnetic waves and other wireless signals, which interfere with the Bluetooth connection between your FreeBuds and phone/tablet and result in a failure to update your FreeBuds. Avoid updating your FreeBuds in an environment with strong electromagnetic interference. Keep your FreeBuds away from sources of interference such as microwave ovens and Wi-Fi routers when performing the update.

Update the system of your phone/tablet

If the firmware update of your FreeBuds is progressing slowly, it may be because your phone/tablet system version is not up to date. In this case, update your phone/tablet to the latest version and try again.

Perform firmware updates in a timely manner to try out the optimized features of your FreeBuds.

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