Connect Buttons: Fix a Button that is silent or plays the default sound

This page helps when your Base responds, but one specific Connect Button does not work. If your Base does not respond, see Connect Base: Fix a Base that is not responding.

How a Connect Button gets its sound

A Connect Button plays its word after three steps:

1. You link the Button to your Base.
2. You record and save the word for the Button in the app.
3. You press the Base Button, so the Base downloads the sound.

Until the Base has downloaded the sound (step 3), the Button plays the default “bo-boop” sound:

The Button plays no sound when pressed

1. Re-link the Button with the Base. This refreshes the Button’s link to your Base and checks for a Button firmware update. See Re-link a Button.
2. Remove the Button’s battery and insert it again. This fixes a very rare intermittent issue.

If the Button still plays no sound, see Button press produces no sound in the known issues.

The Button only plays the default “bo-boop” sound

Check that a word is recorded

1. In the app, tap Hardware at the bottom of the screen.
2. Tap the Button in the Connected Buttons list.
3. Tap Sound and play the recording.
4. If no sound is recorded, record a word and save it. The app then asks you to press the Base Button to upload the new sound to your Base.

Press the Base Button to download the sound

1. Press the Base Button once.
2. Watch the Base LED. It breathes blue while the Base connects to Wi-Fi and turns solid blue once connected. It then breathes cyan while the Base connects to the FluentPet servers and downloads your words, and turns solid cyan once connected.
3. Wait until the Base LED turns off, then press your Button again.

If the Base LED pulses blue quickly about five times, the Base cannot reach your Wi-Fi network. Connect it to Wi-Fi again by setting up the Base again: tap Add Base in the app. If your Wi-Fi network changed, see Connect Base: Connect to a new Wi-Fi network.

Record the word again

Recording the word again and uploading it can make sure the Button has the right sound.

1. In the app, tap Hardware, then tap your Button.
2. Tap Sound and record a new word.
3. Save the recording. The app shows a screen that asks you to upload the sound to your Base.
4. Press the Base Button.

If the default sound remains

If the Button still plays the default “bo-boop” sound, re-link the Button.

The Button plays a sound, but the press does not appear in the app

1. If a press never shows up in the Activity feed, make sure your Base can connect to your Wi-Fi network. If your Wi-Fi network changed, connect the Base to the new network, as described in Connect Base: Connect to a new Wi-Fi network.
2. If only a few presses are missing and new presses do appear in the Activity feed, also make sure your Base can connect to your Wi-Fi network. The Base then updates to the latest firmware, which fixes the issue.
3. If your Base stays plugged in, words still play, but the app shows the Base as offline or last seen days ago, unplug the Base, wait about 10 seconds and plug it back in. See Base stops sending presses to the app after a Wi-Fi or internet interruption.

Re-link a Button

Sometimes the Base needs to refresh its sound storage, for example after a factory reset or because of a temporary firmware issue. Re-linking a Button forces this. Re-linking does not delete any data, and you do not need to change anything in the app. For more detail, see Connect Buttons: Re-link a Button to its Base.

1. Make sure the Base LED is off.

2. Insert the linking pin into the link hole until you feel a light click. The linking pin is the small pin that comes inserted in the Button’s paper instructions. The Button LED breathes cyan for up to 2 minutes to show it is in link mode.

3. Press the Base Button once. The Base LED goes through the same sequence as when it downloads a sound: breathing blue, solid blue, breathing cyan, then solid cyan. The Base accepts the Button during this whole sequence.

4. Listen for three chimes (“bo-be-beep”) that confirm the Button is linked again. The Button and the Base both show solid cyan for 5 seconds.

5. Wait until the Base has finished talking to the FluentPet servers and the Base LED is off.