I Bought, and Returned, the Ozlo Sleepbuds
I’ve gotten into the habit of falling asleep with my headphones in lately. And while I absolutely love my AirPods Pro 2, I don’t want to lose them in the bed if they fall out of my ears.
While listening to an episode of Upgrade, Myke mentioned that he got the Ozlo Sleepbuds, and he likes them for a number of built-in sleep features (like having an alarm, automatically playing a designated sleep sound, and more). But they also have rubber tips that fix them securely in your ear, so they’re unlikely to fall out.
I decided to pick up a pair and try them out…and boy was I disappointed.
Let me get the good stuff out of the way real quick though.
The Good
They do fit nicely in my ears using the tips that were already on the buds. And the lower profile solves the problem of putting pressure on the AirPods Pro, causing some soreness if I fall asleep with them in.
They’re also very well-built. At $300, I’d hope so, but the charging case is nice (it’s big, but these aren’t exactly designed for portability), and the magnets secure the earbuds in the charging slot nicely.
But…that’s really it. The rest of the experience has been problematic.
The Bad
One annoying aspect of the headphones is, despite Bluetooth working up to a distance of 30 feet, these have been designed to work at a much shorter distance. From the website:
Ozlo Sleepbuds® have a range of up to 10ft (3 meters) from the Smart Case. The Smart Case has a range of up to 10ft (3 meters) from the source device
So you get 30% less distance, and that’s contingent upon the Smart Case, not even the headphones. But in my experience, even with the device and Smart Case less than 5ft from my bed, I couldn’t maintain a perfectly clear connection. Speaking of…
Connecting to my device has been the most frustrating aspect. I couldn’t get it to work at first (second, or third), and had to factory reset the headphones twice before finally getting them to connect to my iPad successfully.
When I shared this feedback with support, they offered assistance, and I told them I felt I should not need assistance to connect bluetooth headphones to my device.
Bluetooth is not new technology, but because of the hardware and software choices Ozlo made, it’s anything but straightforward.
Horrible initial experience aside, I was hopeful that reconnecting would be much easier.
It’s not.
You can’t just take the headphones out of the case and connect. You need to:
- Open the app
- Open the case
- Let them connect
- Take them out of the case
The entire experience hinges upon the Smart Case instead of the headphones themselves, and that creates a lot of friction with every use.
But even worse than the connection issues is the app.
The Ugly
You have to use the app to use the headphones at all.
This is a hardware cardinal sin, in my opinion, and with bluetooth headphones, there’s really no reason for it.
Yes — there are a bunch of other features. But the app should be optional to use those features. Not required to use the hardware at all.
When I tried to connect from the Bluetooth section in Settings, the headphones could connect, then immediately disconnect. Here’s what support said:
Yes, you’ll need either the Ozlo app or our website to control and manage your Sleepbuds. The app offers an easy way to customize settings, select sounds, and ensure everything stays up to date.
If you’d prefer to use our website instead, that works too! Just make sure your Sleepbuds are connected to your computer during setup. You can get started here. Both options are designed to help you get the most out of your Sleepbuds.
When I pushed back, they said:
While the Sleepbuds do use Bluetooth, the Ozlo app is an essential part of the experience. It acts as a control center, helping with setup, customizing sound settings, and keeping the Sleepbuds updated with the latest features. It’s designed to make everything as seamless and enjoyable as possible.
The exact opposite is true. Seamless would be the same experience as the AirPods Pro. Put them in my ears, music starts.
I understand that 1st part tools will de-facto work better; but something as close to that experience as possible should be the goal.
They also, really, really want you to create an account — which I understand if you want to use their advanced features. But I don’t.
And that brings me to my final conclusion.
The Ozlo Sleepbuds are Definitely Not for Me
What was I hoping for — and willing to pay $300 for — was bluetooth headphones that would allow me to comfortably listen to music in bed, even if I fell asleep.
What I got was something that claims to be a full sleep tracking system. I say claims, because according to other users, the sleep tracking stuff hasn’t been rolled out yet, and doesn’t even remotely work in beta.
Even if I were interested in those features, there was way too much friction in the setup process. I couldn’t reliably use them as just headphones, and that disincentivized me from wanting to use them at all.
There are, in my opinion, much easier ways to sleep track — better, dedicated devices that don’t rely on an external case.
But I also don’t care for the other features they tout, like an alarm, or the sleep sounds. I just wanted comfortable headphones.
I think if you’re interested in the Ozlo Sleepbuds, you should do some research to see if you’re willing to join their ecosystem.
As for me, I might try the Soundcore Sleep A20 by Anker. They don’t appear to require an app to use them, and they’re half the price.
Bought my wife the Anker Soundcores for Xmas instead of the Ozlo, pretty much because of all this.
If it’s going to be so limited, 300 bucks is waaaaaay too much.
Terrific review. It’s also appreciated because honesty is not found often in this era of affiliate sales. For the same reason, I am waiting for a pair of soundcore a20s. I purchased them at a good price and worth the risk if they deliver uneven half of what they promise.
I bought sleepbuds for my wife and she did not like it as it did not block the snoring noises. I tried to return it and it’s within 30 days of the delivery and it should have been an easy return and refund. However, ozlo support simply ignores my repeatedly requests for return and refund. This is awful! They did not return my emails nor my phone messages when I requested for return instructions.
Joe, You are absolutely spot on with your review. Their reliance on their own app is super annoying. They really need to listen to you and have the earbuds connect automatically and begin playing when you open the case. (And only require the app when you want to change either the volume or the audio track.) Touching my phone is the last thing I want to do when I’m trying to sleep. I hope Ozlo listens to you.
I am also extremely frustrated with this company and their product. I have had horrible experiences with the buds disconnecting the bluetooth, and being awakened to a loud hissing sound. I sent an email to return the product and now am unable to get the 6 digit code that they say they sent to my phone (it has not arrived after several tries – just stuck in an endless loop)
Agreed. Have had terrible luck connecting. Just last night, my buds just stopped playing even though they were fully charged and my phone said they were active and connected. Support has been sympathetic, but for $300, that’s not good enough. Completing my return paperwork as we speak! Extremely disappointed.
Day2;
This initial and review seem spot on! I’ve learned to research any product before investing. I didn’t this time, and so far I’m regretting it. When I want to research an item I’ll look for reviews that “ARE NOT SPONSORED”. If the word “SPONSORED” is connected to one of the options that shows up after googling it, if you choose that option it’s usually touting one particular product. If the word “SPONSORED” IS NOT connected to one of the options that shows up after googling it, if you choose that option it’s usually an honest list of particular products. I DIDNT CHOOSE EITHER. I saw this item on facebook and could’ve sworn I saw somewhere that these used to be a “BOSE PRODUCT”. I’m a humongous BOSE FAN. These drop connection randomly. For a pair of $300 earbuds, that’s not acceptable! I’m not giving in yet, but so far, so “meh”
Thanks for the review! But definitely have to disagree with your conclusion.
While the app is a bit annoying, i noticed you didn’t say much at all about the actual reason people buy sleepbuds. For sleeping!
I’ve tried the A20s and airpod pros, and Ozlos’s are far and away more comfortable. The battery life is listed as 10 hours, and always get me through the night. And the built in sleep sounds are very good.
The initial set up is annoying but after that, the actual using of the sleepbuds for sleeping is a phenomenal experience !
Thanks for your comment, Chase! I’d argue the A20s are as comfortable for me, at half the price, without the headache of setting up and connecting.
Before I fall asleep, I take the headphones out of the case, and before they’re in my ears they’re connected to my phone.
I’ve never had that experience with the Sleepbuds. But I’m glad you like them! As I said in my review, they aren’t for me 🙂
I’m thinking you might have missed some settings- you have the choice to start streaming or the sleep noise when you put the earbuds into your phone, just like the AirPods. I have this setting and I have no issues. You can also set up if you want a timer on when streaming stops and sleep sound starts- soon it will also detect when you are falling asleep and if you enable it, the streaming stops then and the sleep sound of your choice starts.
Since I have issue creating an account and using the app, I find that it has all the bells and whistles I wanted. Currently listening to my audiobook just fine! Sorry you didn’t have a good experience with your device.
Thanks for your feedback! The problem of relying on the app still exists though. With the Soundcore A20s, it was weeks before I downloaded the app. They work exactly as I’d expect Bluetooth headphones to work.
I am having a frustrating time too. All I want to do with these is have a built in masking sound play when I take out of the case and put them in my ears like I used to do with my Bose sleep buds. I did the set up via the app, chose my sound, boarded the sound switched on auto play and it worked. Then an hour later got them out of the case and sound is gone. Have to keep reconnecting to the app and doing it all again and it disappears again. Am I missing something? Do I have to fiddle with app every time I put them back in the case? I thought the sound was meant to be boarded on the buds. That was the beauty of the Bose ones. As for switching between audio streaming and the masking sound I don’t know where to start but would have thought you should have been able to do that seamlessly. I asked a question about that via their website and got some garbled AI type reply. Very disappointing for the money
Thank you for this review. Your sticking points are the same ones I have: connection should be easy and you should never have to open an app to use earbuds. Wow. How did a product even make it out the door with that last issue? That’s unacceptable.
I have the Soundcore A20 Sleepbuds and I love the way they fit so much they’ve become my primary earbuds because of the comfort level. Unfortunately, they do not have great sound quality for music (I mostly use them for audiobooks) and the sound can often be completely overwhelmed by outside noise. They perform the primary fuction well, but I really need to find an earbud this small and pefectly fitting that can also play music without sounding tinny and be heard in public. The Soundcore A30 is coming and it has ANC, so maybe that will be my new favorite.
I’ve had my Ozlo sleep buds for about four months, and so far I absolutely love them! Yes, having to connect with the app is a little annoying, but I got used to fast. Also, I just keep the case on my nightstand so proximity is never an issue. What I LOVE about these are that they are extremely comfortable AND they stay in my ears, even though I tend to toss and turn a lot while sleeping. I have tried many different kinds of ear buds for sleep, including most recently the Soundcore A20 (Anker) sleep earbuds. They fell out of my ears frequently, despite adjusting sizes, and my first pair stopped working after 8 months. Anker replaced them but then the replacement pair stopped working after only 5 months. We’ll see if the Ozlo buds last longer, but so far they are my favorite!
Anyone tried the A30 yet?
I have been using Ozlo Sleepbuds for about a year and swear by them. They go everywhere with me. Compared with the Bose ones I had (which had to be returned on multiple occasions due to battery issues in one or both buds) these have been great so far. Yes the need to open the app before taking them out of the case is a bit annoying but certainly not a deal breaker when compared to the benefits of snug and comfortable sleepbuds that enable me to sleep while my partner snores and also allow me to listen to my Audible book before they automatically switch to my preferred sleep sound (babbling brook), until morning. I have not had the distance issue of them turning off the sleep sound, even when I take our dog out for a toilet at night (approx 15 metres), however they will stop streaming Audible at a much lesser distance. During the day I use Apple AirPods for streaming.
Count me as one of the people who swear by them. I use them for sleep only and have my AirPods for everything else. Connecting to the app before putting them on is a small price to pay for a good night’s sleep. The comfort is unmatched – I don’t even feel them and they stay on all night. Never had a problem with the sound cutting off and the sleep sounds block off most of my partner’s snoring.
I had the same connection issues and agree that having to connect through the app every night is ridiculous. If these people worked for Bose, they should know better. While the Bose Sleepbuds couldn’t play music or books, at least you could set a sleep sound that would start as soon as removed from the case. Speaking of cases, I had to return the Ozlos because the case would only charge to 2%. A complete disappointment.
I tried them two nights but I will return them. They hurt my ears even when I lay on my back. I don’t like the app and I don’t like the sound options. They don’t block the sound of my partner snoring unless I turn up the volume to a level that prevents me from sleeping. They’re just not for me. I’m going back to an over-ear headphone with noise cancelling. Looks ridiculous but much more comfortable for me.