It’s long overdue, but one of the most requested missing features has finally been made available to the Sony WF-1000XM4, with a new firmware update at last bringing multipoint connectivity support to the premium in-ear headphones.
Multipoint allows you to connect to two Bluetooth audio sources at the same time, meaning you can listen to music on your laptop and if a call comes in on your phone, you can switch over to it seamlessly to answer.
It’s a feature now regularly found on mid-range and even some entry-level wireless earbuds, with rival in-ears like the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II and AirPods Pro 2 both boasting the functionality, but also the cheaper likes of the EarFun Air Pro 3. However the feature was conspicuous by its absence from the spec sheets of Sony’s flagship true wireless earphones when they were released in June 2021.
Multipoint had been promised to be added to the WF-1000XM4’s way back in October last year, but after a long delay, the wait is thankfully finally over for the convenient feature thanks to a new version 2.0.0 software update which landed yesterday.
According to Sony's support page, the update takes around 35 minutes to install onto the WF-1000XM4’s when paired with an Android smartphone.
It’s a slightly longer install for iPhone users, with the process set to take upwards of an hour depending on your Apple handset model. The good news is that you can still listen to music to pass away the time when going through the update process.
For full details on the firmware update, and instructions on how to install, head to the Sony Support page (opens in new tab).
Analysis: A long overdue, but welcome update
Make no mistake, today is a great day for WF-1000XM4 owners, who now no longer have the annoying faff of needing to disconnect their buds from one device before being able to use another device.
The big question is why has there been such a long wait for what has become something of a standard feature for headphones at this price point?
The super-affordable Sony WH-CH520 cans have had the feature at launch, while the wait for multipoint has taken so long, we’re now almost at the stage of the WF-1000XM4's successors being released – you can read more about what we expect form the Sony WF-1000XM5.
As frustrating as the delay has been, the update unquestionably makes an already great pair of headphones even better – after all, they still managed to stay top of our list of the best true wireless earbuds.
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