How to do a Manual Play-Fi Product Update

A manual update is a way of delivering updated software directly to your Play-Fi product using the USB port, rather than wirelessly via the Play-Fi app.  This update software is only for the embedded Play-Fi software of the product. If you need update files for your Brand’s utility software or firmware, then please reach out to your respective brand’s support group. You can find links to the various Play-Fi partners on the main Knowledge Base directory.

You should only use this if you are having trouble with a first time setup or a new over-the-air update. If you are having another issue, please be sure to run through the other troubleshooting steps first, prior to taking this step. If you have any issues with this update, or need a walkthrough, please contact support@play-fi.com.

Certain Phorus PS1 Speakers and Wren V5PFs may need special service or updates prior to performing this operation. If you have one of these products and are having update difficulty, please refer to the Phorus or Wren support pages, respectively.

This is what you’ll need to update:

• A USB Flash Drive with at least 256 MB of available space
• An Internet connection
• A Windows PC or Mac
• About 3 minutes of time per Play-Fi product (The manual update process varies a little between brands)

Here's a link to the update files: Download Here

Open the downloaded "Play-Fi-Update" zip archive and extract the “phorus” and "phorus5" folders to the main directory (root) of the USB flash drive. Do not change the name of those folders or any of the files therein. You don't need to open or unzip any of the additional zip archive files contained in either of those folders. The Play-Fi products will read and open them as they are.

Instructions:

1. Unplug the Play-Fi product from power
   • If using a Polk Omni S2 Rechargeable, hold the Polk button until the Wi-Fi light on the back turns off (roughly 3 seconds)
2. Insert the USB flash drive into the back of the unpowered Play-Fi product
3. Plug the Play-Fi product back into power, which should make the product light up (some also make a startup tone)
   • Definitive Technology products (except for the sound bars): Hold Volume Minus until the product makes a tone and restarts
   • MartinLogan Motion Vision X: Hold Volume Minus and Volume Plus for 5 seconds and the display will indicate Updating
   • MartinLogan Crescendo X: Hold the Mute and Source buttons for 5 seconds, and the front LED will turn Red to indicate Update Mode
4. After a short period of time you may hear another tone from the speaker, and this indicates the process has started
   • Some Polk and Definitive Technology products don’t make update tones
5. After about 3-5 minutes or so--and several interspersed tones and restarts--eventually the product's Wi-Fi light will enter a Double-Blink pattern (the WPS pattern), which is distinct from the pulsing or fast blinking patterns
   • Most Play-Fi products (apart from certain Polk and Definitive Technology models) also repeat a tone endlessly every 5 seconds upon completion
6. Unplug the Play-Fi product from power
   • If using a Polk Omni S2 Rechargeable, hold the Polk button until the Wi-Fi light on the back turns off (roughly 3 seconds)
7. Remove the USB drive
8. Plug the Play-Fi product back into power

The product should now return to the network and be updated for full playback and feature support.