What is a Safe Family device firmware update and how do I complete it?

Firmware updates keep your Greenlight Safe Family device running at its best — improving reliability, adding new features, and fixing issues behind the scenes. When an update is available, you can get it done in just a few minutes right from the Greenlight app.

What is a firmware update and why does it happen?

Firmware is the built-in software that powers your Safe Family device. Greenlight periodically releases updates to improve how the device works — things like enhancing connection reliability, improving performance, and rolling out new features. Updates are delivered wirelessly, so there's nothing to manually download or install.

How do I know when a firmware update is available?

When a firmware update is ready for your device, a "Firmware update" banner will appear on the Device tab in the Greenlight parent app. Tapping that banner is the only way to start a firmware update — there are no push notifications or menu settings for this at this time.

Tip: If you don't see a banner on the Device tab, your device may already be on the latest firmware version.

What do I need before starting the update?

Before tapping the banner, have these ready:

• A 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network — 5 GHz networks are not supported and will cause the update to fail. If you're not sure which band your network is on, you can try looking for a network name ending in "_2G" or "_2.4".
• Mobile data enabled on your phone for the duration of the update. Your phone needs mobile data to deliver the update to your device, so it needs to stay on throughout.
• Your Wi-Fi password handy.

How do I start the firmware update?

After tapping the "Firmware update" banner on the Device tab, you'll see a summary of what's included in this update at the bottom of the screen. When you're ready, here's what to expect:

1. A list of your eligible Safe Family devices will appear. Select the device(s) you want to update — you can choose more than one to update at the same time.
2. Tap "Proceed" and then "Get started" to begin the update process.
3. You'll be prompted to connect your device to a Wi-Fi network.
   • Android: The app scans for nearby networks automatically. Select your 2.4 GHz network from the list and enter your password.
   • iPhone: You'll need to type your network name and password manually. Make sure you enter your 2.4 GHz network name exactly as it appears — for example, "MyHome_2G" not "myhome_2g".
4. Tap "Next" to queue the update.
5. The update runs in the background. Progress is shown in the app and typically takes 10–30 minutes depending on your signal.
6. Once the update is complete, you'll see a pop-up in the app letting you know it was successful.

Tip: Once the update is queued, you can press the SOS button on your Safe Family device once to help speed it up. You may receive an SOS text message — this is expected and your emergency contacts don't need to take any action.

Can I update more than one device at the same time?

Yes! If you have multiple Safe Family devices linked to your account, you can select and update them all at the same time from the device selection screen.

What happens if the update doesn't finish or gets stuck?

If the progress bar hasn't moved for 10 or more minutes, try keeping the device closer to your Wi-Fi router and confirm that mobile data is still on.

If the update doesn't complete within 24 hours, it will automatically time out. The banner will reappear on the Device tab and you can tap it to try again — you'll re-enter your network details to restart.

What's new in firmware v3.3301?

The latest firmware update (v3.3301) updates how the SOS emergency button works. After updating, triggering an SOS alert requires a quick double-tap of the blue button.

For full details on how the SOS button works, see the “How to trigger an "SOS alert" from your Safe Family Device” in this article.

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