Beats Flex Won't Turn On [SOLVED!]

Beats Flex by Dr. Dre is budget wireless earbuds that come with Apple’s W1 chip. Thanks to the W1 chip, they work seamlessly across Apple devices.

I wouldn’t say they are as reliable and robust as the Airpods, but for a price tag of $50 or less, you still get a good-quality wireless headphones. They work great but also run into occasional problems.

One common issue is when the Beats Flex won’t turn on and show either a red & white blinking light or no light at all.

This usually is due to a problem with the battery, power circuit, or power button. In some cases, firmware glitches can also cause this.

In this detailed troubleshooting article, we will explore all the proven fixes that will help you troubleshoot and solve the issue.

Contents show

How to turn on Beats Flex?

First, let’s see the how to turn on beats flex the proper way. If this is your first time using Beats Flex or any beats headphones, this should help you.

The power button is on the right control module (oval pill shaped thingy). To turn your Beats Flex on, press and hold the power button for 1 second.

Once your Beats are on, you will see the LED indicator will show white light indicating that the headphones are turned on and have charge that will last for more than one hour.

Beats Flex Won’t Turn On – Troubleshooting

If you already know how to turn your Beats Flex on or have been using them before, its time to troubleshoot and fix the issue that might be causing the malfunction.

Some of these steps are quite universal so you can apply them to other Beats products as well.

Charge them overnight

When something don’t turn on, your first thought should be “does it has a charge?” In this case, we will start with the most obvious step – check the charge level.

The Beats Flex has an LED indicator near the power button that tells you how much charge is left in the battery.

White: more than an hour left.
Red: less than an hour left.
Blinking red: battery critically low.

If you have Red or blinking Red light, put the headphones on charge for up to 3 hours using USB-C connector.

However, if you are using your Beats Flex after a long time, the battery might be critically low or even completely drained. In such a case, you might not be able to charge them normally.

You will have to “wake” the battery up first.

To do this, put the headphones on charge for more than 12 hours even if you don’t see any charging activity light on the headphones. Just connect them and leave them overnight on the table.

If the battery is not permanently damaged, it will wake up and start charging normally. After that, you can turn your Beats Flex on normally.

Clean the power button

The power button on your Beats Flex is regularly used to turn the headphones on and off. With regular use, the button can degrade over time.

There is another issue with the button. Dust and debris particles can get under the botton between the connectors and stop the button from working properly.

To check for this, we can clean the button with an appropriate electrical contacts cleaner like WD-40 Spray.

The contact cleaner spray will get inside and under the button and dissolve any dust and debris particles and restore the electrical contact. To clean the button, follow the below steps.

Find a well-ventilated area in your home or outside where you can safely use the spray.
Hold the can so the button is facing upward, and apply the WD-40 evenly on all sides of the button.
Attach the included straw to the can to target the spray precisely.
After application, press the button 20 to 30 times to flush out any dirt or debris.
Allow the headphones to air-dry for one hour before turning them on.

If a dirty power button was causing the issue, it should now be resolved and your Beats Flex should turn on normally.

Check for physical damage

If you check the battery charge and power button and both seems fine, the next step is to inspect the headphones closely and look for any sign of physical damage specially near the two control modules.

I owned the previous BeatsX headphones and now the Beats Flex and on both of them I have noticed that the wire is prone to damage near the neck of the control modules. It bends repeatedly during use and can get damaged.

If you find any sign of wear or tear in the wire, that must be the reason for the Beats Flex not turning on.

Unfortunately, you cannot repair a broken wire at home. You will either have to send them in for a repair or replacement (if you still have warranty coverage)

Check for water damage

Since Beats Flex are budget earbuds, they are not rated for water resistance. That means excessive sweat or water can potentially damage them.

The USB-C port and the buttons are potential areas for water ingress. If you go through sweaty workout sessions, you can get your Beats damaged.

Sweat has high salt content that’s why it is far more damaging than ordinary water. So it is generally a good idea to avoid ingress as much as possible.

To check for sweat damage, you can carefully open your control modules and look for any sign of dried salt or water markings. If you find salt inside or on the circuit board, that means you have a case of short-circuit.

In this case too, a professional repair service is needed as you cannot repair the minature circuitry at home.

Change the battery

Batteries are disposable components of any rechargeable electronic device. They decompose over time and lose their capacity to hold charge.

As a rule of thumb, after 400-500 cycles of charging, you will have to replace your battery. A common indicator of a bad battery is a flashing red and white light on Beats headphones.

If everything above seems fine, the button works, there is no physical or water damage, then it means that the battery is dead and needs to be replaced.

Specially if your headphones were purchased more than 2 years ago, the battery has probably seen its fair share of charge-recharge cycles.

It might seems intimidating but changing your Beats Flex battery is not very hard. I am not saying its easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy but it doesn’t need much. You can easily order a replacement battery online and watch a youtube video to replace it.

However, since these are very low cost headphones, you are better off replacing the unit or better upgrading to the newer Beats Studio true wireless earbuds.

Contact Apple Support

In most cases, the above troubleshooting steps will solve your problem but if you are reading this, that means you are out of luck with sefl-troubleshooting. It’s time to call the pros.

Apple provide dedicated support for all Beats branded products on its service page where you can get in touch, schedule a visit or send the product in for repair.

Apple is not known for its affordable aftersales service so if they quote you a repair cost that is comparable to the actual product cost, its better to get a new one. Unless your product is under warranty, you will be happier with a brand new product.

Final words

In conclusion, if your Beats Flex won’t turn on, there are several troubleshooting steps you can take. Start by checking the charge level, cleaning the power button, checking for physical damage, and checking for water damage.

If none of these fixes work, you may need to change the battery or seek professional repair services.

Beats Flex are budget headphones so you might also consider getting a new pair if yours are beyond repair.

Official Beats