I recently came across an annoying bug with the Røde Wireless Go II set we use at work: The receiver was completely discharged every time it came out of the charging case (which is supposed to keep it charged).

This was not that big an issue when using it as a USB audio interface with its wireless microphones, but was enough of a hassle when I wanted to use the set standalone today that I looked into whether this is a known issue.

Turns out: Yes. Both the receiver and the transmitters can have this bug, with users reporting the devices arriving dead on arrival with completely discharged batteries and not wanting to charge anymore.

This is very frustrating (and not a good look on Røde) all by itself, but the remedy is yet another hassle. The number one source on a fix is a reddit post from some two years ago, and judging from the comments, it has helped quite a lot of annoyed customers. The fix is to… download the Rode Central software and do a factory reset and firmware upgrade.

The software is available for Windows and MacOS, but there is apparently no Linux version. Sleuthing around the Webs did not provide any pointers, so I downloaded the Android version, connected (initially) the receiver via USB-C, fired up the App, clicked through the firmware update dialogue and… was stuck with this screen:

Please use the desktop version of RØDE Central to install this update.

So, no luck with the mobile version? I’d have to find a Windows Laptop or Macbook somewhere, persuade the owner to install the Røde software in order to perform a firmware upgrade on a set of wireless microphones to make them charge again?!

Okay. Well.

I had almost accepted my fate when by pure chance I found a workaround to perform the firmware upgrade even from the Android App. I did not think quickly enough to take screenshots when getting the receiver to upgrade, so the screenshots are from when I upgraded the transmitters as well. The “trick” (if you can even call that a trick) is this:

When the app first notifies you that there is a “Firmware Update Required”, you are presented with two buttons. One is tapping on “Got it” – which will lead you to the error message above that tells you to use the desktop version.

But, if, out of curiosity or an urge to keep no path unchecked, you tap on the small message below that reads “How to prepare for the firmware update”, you will at first encounter a step-by-step preparation guide. That tells you to always update all of the devices, not just one of them, have the devices charged, etc.

And then, and only then, if you tap again on the familiar “Got it” button…

…you can actually update the firmware. From an Android device. Without having to look for some Linux workaround (that usually ends up in yak shaving for at least hours)

In the end, it worked. The standalone setup worked. And only as I am writing this down (so that, maybe, others can be led towards the right path just as I had been led toward the first steps by that Reddit post) I am realizing that I didn’t check whether the set still works via USB. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.