Sony WH-1000XM3 Muting in the Cold

[bugzy3188]

Is there a way to turn off gesture control on the 1000XM3s? It barely works in optimal conditions and when standing outisde in cold weather they will consistently register swipes (even though nothing has touched the headphones), either turning volume up/down or skipping tracks and after about 1 minute they will mute as if I am holding my hand over the right ear. Any suggestions?

[arnolfini]

Out of interest, were you using the headphones inside and going outside
while still using them (ie causing a dramatic, sudden temperature change),
or did you put them on/turn them on when you were already out in the cold?

Also was there much wind where you are?

I just ask as these are the 2 things that really trigger the problems - at
least for me. If I'm listening to them as I get ready for work, then go
outside into the cold, they go crazy after a minute or two (or about 30
seconds if it's windy). If I leave them in my bag and only put them on
when I'm already outside then they're generally fine.

[Dmoney21]

Tested again today in -15 in Toronto. It was fine for the first 10 minutes in the cold and as soon as I transitioned to a warmer environment, the touch sensors went all bonkers again. Pausing and increasing volume randomly and in quick succession. 

I can confirm that the temperature shift causes this when you're in a warm environment, entering a cold one or in a cold one, and entering a warm environment. I'm at a loss, I bought my pair through Amazon and passed warranty/return/exchange so really hoping Sony comes up with a more permanent fix. Like I said, I love the product except for this one issue which is a really annoying.

[tonoler]

Basically useless in Sweden. What are you doing Sony!?

Fix a software update for your loyal customers ...

Also, I am aware that you can fix the problem through a simple restart, but I do not want to do that with my 400 dollar headphones.

[bookd_]

One thing I have not seen mentioned so far is humidity.

Once it's cold, does the amount of moisture in the air have any effect? Might this explain why some users have no problems?

I would consider the cold in Sweden to be quite dry, and there certainly are problems here.

[IamNic]

Why doesn't someone here test it with a freezer? This would help clearing many things up - doing a few test would help us all and we wouldn't need to throw around assumptions of what might be causing the issues.

I would do it if I would own the headphones, but I don't.

- Nic

[arnolfini]

How would putting them in the freezer help?

We *know* what causes the issue because many of us experience the issue
several times a day so it quickly becomes very obvious. It is caused by
sudden changes of temperature - going from inside to outside in cold
weather or vice versa - and is greatly exacerbated by wind. I, and many
others on this thread, can tell you that with absolute certainty without
having stick any headphones in a freezer.

[IamNic]

Would you mind shooting a video about this? I am very interested in this case and would like to see it for myself. 

[arnolfini]

Might be tricky to film my own phone without a second phone. Also 90% of
what happens is sounds rather than anything visual. Maybe someone else can
figure something out, but tbh it sounds like a lot of hassle to demonstrate
something we all know already and which Sony has also acknowledged - even
if they’re not offering any reasonable solution.

[IamNic]

Hi @arnolfini,

I might have considered that everyone owns some sort of standalone camera - it is true that not everyone does...

- Nic

[Phyzer228]

They should just give us the option to disable touch in the app. Easy quick-fix.