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Starlink Firmware Updates: How to Check, Schedule and Recover Safely

Troubleshooting & Fixes

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Starlink normally handles terminal and router software updates automatically, but it helps to know where to check the version and what to do when an update appears stuck.

This guide is for the Starlink equipment software update, not only the Starlink mobile app update. Menu names can vary slightly by hardware generation and app version.

Before you check for an update

  • Update the Starlink app from the App Store or Google Play.
  • Connect your phone to the Starlink Wi-Fi network, or to the local network if you use your own router.
  • Take a screenshot of any warning, offline message or update prompt.
  • Do not factory-reset the router just because the software version looks old. A reset clears Wi-Fi settings and rarely fixes an update by itself.

Check the software version

  1. Open the Starlink app while you are near the equipment.
  2. Open Settings and look for Starlink or Software Updates.
  3. If your app shows an Advanced section, open Advanced, then Starlink, and look for Software version.
  4. Record the terminal and router versions, plus the time you checked. The labels and version format can differ between models.

If you only see the app version, update the app first and reopen it. The app version and the Starlink equipment software version are separate.

Let an automatic update finish

When the terminal is online, Starlink can download software in the background and install it during a reboot, often overnight. If you are watching the app during an update, an indicator may appear below the status title.

While that is happening:

  • Keep the terminal and router powered.
  • Do not unplug the equipment or move the dish.
  • Avoid changing Wi-Fi, bypass-mode or third-party-router settings at the same time.
  • Expect a short interruption while the equipment reboots, then wait for the normal online status to return.

If the service comes back and the version has changed, the update completed. There is no benefit in forcing another reset.

Choose a different update window

Some app versions let you choose when automatic software updates reboot:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Select Starlink.
  3. Open Software Updates.
  4. Choose an available window such as Overnight, Morning, Afternoon or Evening.

Pick a period when a brief interruption is acceptable. The app may use the physical location of the Starlink hardware for local time, rather than your billing or shipping address.

If the automatic update never happens

Work through this order:

  1. Confirm that the Starlink app itself is current.
  2. Confirm that the terminal is powered, connected to the sky and showing a normal online or connecting status.
  3. Reopen the app and check for a software-update prompt.
  4. If the terminal has been disconnected or offline for months, follow the app's Manual update steps if they appear.
  5. If no update option appears or the terminal cannot stay online, contact Starlink Support with the screenshots, software version, kit or service identifier, and the time the problem began.

Use the instructions shown for your equipment in the app. Do not install unofficial firmware files or copy a procedure from a different Starlink model.

If the connection is still offline after the update

First check the Starlink app for an outage or an update still in progress. If the update indicator has cleared and the equipment remains offline, do one normal restart:

  1. Unplug the Starlink terminal and router from power.
  2. Wait about 30 seconds.
  3. Reconnect power and allow several minutes for the terminal to acquire service.
  4. Test the connection from one nearby device before changing other network settings.

If the terminal is online but one device cannot connect, the update may not be the cause. Test another device and check your own router, VPN or DNS settings separately. If the whole service remains offline, open a support ticket rather than repeating resets.

Avoid these common mistakes

  • Treating a mobile-app update as a terminal or router firmware update.
  • Pulling power while the equipment is applying an update.
  • Comparing a version from a different hardware model as if it were newer or older.
  • Scheduling a reboot during a critical work or travel window.
  • Factory-resetting before recording the current version and the error message.

For the current Starlink instructions, see How do I update my Starlink if it doesn't automatically update? and Can I choose when my Starlink updates its software?.