The front top view of the Sony SRS XB23 speaker.

Updating Firmware on Sony SRS XB23

Here, we describe updating the firmware on the Sony SRS XB23 Bluetooth speaker. The procedure can take around ten minutes depending on the speed of your internet connection, source device used to update the speaker, distance between speaker and that device, Etc. Plus, you cannot roll back the update once installed. That is, you’ll be unable to return to the prior firmware version after you finish this upgrade. So, be certain that you indeed want the update, and have thought through all ramifications before proceeding.

Updating Firmware on Sony SRS XB23: Preparations

You’ll need the following items:

    • High speed internet connection,
    • Bluetooth enabled mobile device,
    • The Sony Music Center app that runs on said mobile device,
    • the Sony SRS XB23 BT speaker you’re updating.
    • Compatible USB power adapters and charge cables for your speaker and mobile device.

Updating Firmware on Sony SRS XB23: Routine Summary

Next, do the following to update the speaker. In short…

    1. Connect your mobile device to the internet.  We suggest using WiFi for this work, and not your cellular connection.
    2. Install the Sony Music Center app if you haven’t already.
    3. Then, plug your XB23 and your mobile device to AC power. Why? Because we don’t want either of their batteries going dead while updating the firmware. In fact, a low battery could leave a corrupted version of the firmware in the speaker’s memory. This could, and probably would in all likelihood, brick the speaker. This would then likely render the unit useless and non repairable.
    4. Disconnect any other Bluetooth speakers and devices from your mobile device for this process.
    5. Then, power up your speaker and mobile device, if not already running.
    6. Next, sync your mobile device with the XB23.
    7. Run the Sony Music Center app. The app should then find your speaker and display the home screen for the XB23, showing that a firmware update is available.
    8. Follow the on-screen instructions for firmware updating.




Updating Firmware on Sony SRS XB23, Step by Step Details

1. Connect the XB23 and your Mobile Device to AC Power

We connected ours to an AC outlet using a common USB power supply, as well as a common micro USB to USB-A cable. E.g. See this in the next picture.

Picture of the charging Sony SRS XB23 speaker. Updating Firmware on Sony SRS XB23.
The Sony SRS XB23 speaker charging.

You’ll know that the speaker is receiving external power if you see the charging light glowing orange.

2. Pair this Bluetooth Speaker with your Mobile Device

Connect the speaker to your phone / tablet where you will run the update. Here’s an example screenshot of the XB23 connected to an iPhone.

Screenshot of the iPhone Bluetooth Settings page, showing a Sony SRS XB23 speaker as Connected.
The iPhone Bluetooth Settings screen, showing a Sony SRS XB23 speaker as Connected.

Now keep both the speaker and your mobile device powered up and close to each other throughout the update, lest the update fail and result in a malfunctioning speaker.

3. Find the Sony Music Center App on your Mobile Device

We made a folder for all of Bluetooth speaker apps and put the Sony Music Center app in there on our test iPad, as you see in the next picture.

Screenshot of an iPadOS device, showing the Sony Music Center app in a folder called Bluetooth Speakers.
An iPadOS device, showing the Sony Music Center app in a folder called Bluetooth Speakers.

4. Run the Sony Music Center App to Continue with Updating Firmware on Sony SRS XB23

As the app runs, it scans the host device running it for compatible Sony speakers.  Moreover, the app needs a brief period to find the XB23. But eventually, it does so, and displays its status screen, as pictured next.

If the speaker does not appear in the app after thirty seconds or so, move it closer to your mobile device. Next, close the Connect app, and then run it again.

Note the tan bar on the XB23’s home screen.  This appears only when a firmware update is available for this speaker.

Screenshot of the Sony Music Center app, displaying the SRS XB23 Home page with a speaker update available, showing the More Info button.
Sony Music Center app, displaying the SRS XB23 Home page with a speaker update available, showing the More Info button.

Note that if there are no firmware updates pending for the XB23, then you will see no brown bar. This situation we show in the next picture.

Screenshot of the Sony SRS XB23 speaker Home page in the Music Center app.
The Sony Music Center app, showing the SRS XB23 speaker Home page.

5. Tap the More Info Button Inside the Brown Update Bar

Tapping the More Info button may bring up the following screen if you haven’t followed the above directions, and plugged both your speaker and smart device into external power.

Screenshot of the Insufficient Battery Power message.
The app, displaying the Insufficient Battery Power message.

In fact, we suggest that you fully charge both speaker and the smart device before proceeding with this update.  Doing so protects your XB23 from a corrupt firmware upload in the event of a longer power outage, where the batteries could go dead before firmware updating is complete.  Also, as a further precaution, once you fully recharge both devices, please leave both of them connected to external power until the update finishes.





Once speaker and smart device are charged, tap the OK button on the Insufficient Battery Power screen. That should then reveal the following page.

Screenshot of the Software Version 3700 Information page and OK button. Updating Firmware on Sony SRS XB23.
The Software Version 3700 Information page and OK button.

Or, if you quit the app, go ahead and restart it and repeat the above steps.  This time, you should not get the Insufficient Battery Power page. But instead, you will see the Software Information page that we see in the last picture.

6. Updating Firmware on Sony SRS XB23 Begins

The updating then starts, as we show in the following screenshots. The Music Center app first downloads the new firmware package as we see in the next picture.

Screenshot of the app downloading the new firmware at 0 percent done.
The app downloading the new firmware, and at 0 percent done.

6a. Updating the Firmware Continues at Twenty-Five Percent Complete

Now as shown in these screenshots, the Sony Music Center app displays a  progress line, that gradually gets more brown as the firmware updating proceeds.

Screenshot of the Sony Music Center app transferring software, at 25 percent done.
The Sony Music Center app transferring software, at 25 percent done.

6b. Updating Firmware on Sony SRS XB23, Now at Fifty Percent Complete

Once the app downloads the package, it unpacks and transfers it to the XB23 as the next picture shows.

Now we’re probably about two minutes into the update. Indeed this process takes a relatively short time as compared to some of the other speaker models we’ve tested.

Screenshot of the Sony Music Center app transferring software, at 50 percent done.
The Sony Music Center app transferring software, at 50 percent done.

6c. Now at Seventy-Five Percent Complete

Screenshot of the app transferring the firmware, and at 75 percent done.
The app transferring the firmware, and at 75 percent done.

6d. Now at Ninety-Nine Percent Done

The next screen shows that the firmware transfer and update to the speaker have almost finished (99 percent done). E.g. The progress bar is practically all brown now.

Screenshot of the app transferring the software to the speaker, and at 99 percent done. Updating Firmware on Sony SRS XB23.
The app transferring the software to the speaker, and at 99 percent done.

7. Wait for the Sony SRS XB23 to Shut OFF After Updating its Firmware

Once the app copies the update files to the speaker, you get the Software Update Has Started screen, as shown next. This is when the XB23 installs the firmware package into its primary memory.





Further, this screen warns that our speaker will shut down once the updating finishes.

Screenshot of the Software Update Started page, and OK button.
The Software Update Started page, and OK button.

8. Press the OK Button Once the Speaker Powers OFF

After the speaker shuts down, and you press the onscreen OK button, you get the following page, showing the speaker in the listing of devices that the app knows about.  But it’s grayed and unavailable for tapping, as we see next.

Screenshot of the Sony Music Center app speaker list, showing the XB23 grayed out.
The Sony Music Center app speaker list, showing the XB23 grayed out.

9. Turn the Speaker Back ON

Press the Power button on the back of the unit, just above and between the Pairing and Volume UP buttons, to turn this Bluetooth speaker on again, as pictured next.

The -Power- button on the Sony SRS XB23 speaker.
Sony SRS XB23 speaker -Power- button.

The XB23 should again pair with your mobile device where you’re running the Sony Music Center app. The Power button turns solid green, and the Pairing button also glows steadily white once the speaker has again linked to your mobile device.

Now after the XB23 reconnects to your smart device, the Sony Music Center app discovers that your speaker has come back online, and thus, displays an update-complete message, as follows.

Screenshot of the Software Update Complete message along with an OK button.
The Software Update Complete message along with an OK button.

10. Press the OK Button Back in the Sony Music Center App

With your speaker successfully paired to the app again, press the  OK button, as shown in the last screenshot.

The app then displays the Sony SRS XB23 home screen once again. But this time, note that there’s no longer the brown bar, as shown next. This means that the updating of the firmware worked, and that the speaker is now running the current firmware version.

Screenshot of the Sony SRS XB23 speaker Home page in the Music Center app.
The Sony Music Center app, showing the SRS XB23 speaker Home page.

11. Done with Updating Firmware on Sony SRS XB23 !

You’re now finished updating the software to the current version in your Sony SRS XB23 Bluetooth speaker. Enjoy the new features.

Related Posts to Updating Firmware on Sony SRS XB23

    1. Updating Firmware on JBL Pulse 3 Bluetooth Speaker
    2. JBL Xtreme 2 Speaker and Updating the Firmware
    3. Updating Firmware on JBL Flip 3 Bluetooth Speaker
    4. Firmware Updating the JBL Charge 4 Speaker
    5. Updating Firmware on JBL Flip 5 Speaker

Other Posts About the Sony SRS XB23

    1. Sony SRS XB23 Factory Reset Instructions
    2. How to Connect Sony SRS XB23 to iPhone
    3. Sony SRS XB23 Buttons Explained
    4. How to Turn Off Sony SRS XB23 Bluetooth Speaker
    5. Telling if This BT Speaker is Charging

References

    1. Sony SRS XB23 Portable Bluetooth Speaker Product Page on Sony.com

Revision History

    • 2021-10-10: First published.