How I Unbricked Godox X3 Trigger Updating Firmware from V1.09 to V1.13

[@gregoryl.3445]

So helpful, I had the same issue... What a shame that it is so complicated to upgrade. I spent more than an hour trying to follow your advices. Now it finally works ;) thank you

[@TossSong]

Thank you for your comment. I agree, it could be a bit finicky to upgrade. But I’m glad this was helpful.

[@profatilov]

Thank you very much, your video helped bring my Godox X3 back to life!

[@TossSong]

Thank you for your comment and sharing. Very Glad to hear that you got it working again!

[@JeffreyBeardall]

In case it's not clear...you need to press the top knob in and hold it for a while to boot the trigger into the Chinese update screen...then use the Godox G3 app to load and update the firmware. When the green progress bar stops and the very hard to read window above it says the update is complete, click 'exit' on the app. Your trigger should now turn on. As he says, any settings you had will be wiped, but that's easy to do again.

[@trankdart]

Thank you for making this video, it was a great help! I dowloaded firmware V1.24 for my X3-C. It came with 2 installer programs, one called G3 V1.1, the other called IAP. The G3 app ran with no security alerts, but bricked the x3 every time no matter what I did. After I watched your video, I tried the IAP version of the app, which wouldn't run at first, but did run after I followed your instructions and told macOS to ignore the security issue. Then it upgraded the unit to 1.24 and no more problems (did get one message on the X3 screen that said "upgrading hot shoe", just the first time). Anyway thanks again, I was about to toss the X3 and stick with my old X2.

[@TossSong]

Thank you for your comment and for sharing. I’m really glad that it worked out. I totally understand you you had to go through to get this trigger updated. Wish Godox could do something better. Like their launcher could be better programmed and improved and implemented. Hopefully they’re working on it.

[@luismanuelmendoza789]

what is the IAP version?

[@TossSong]

@luismanuelmendoza789 Hi, thanks for reaching out. I’m the “Remark” under the X3 firmware, it says you’ll have to install the Godox Launcher V1.1 (current), run it and plug in the X3 to update. Here’s the link: godox.com/firmware-control-system_5/

[@trankdart]

@@luismanuelmendoza789 I don’t know the difference between the regular version of the Godox updater and the IAP version. I know only that they came in the same zip file from Godox. At least on my Mac Studio running current Sequoia, the IAP version updated my X3 trigger with no problem (to firmware 1.25), and the other version didn’t, it couldn’t ever see the device on USB. I haven’t figured out what IAP stands for. The two versions look the same when I run them, but only the IAP works.

[@TossSong]

Hope you saw the link I provided. But I’m Glad you got it working again.

[@tomhalliday2522]

worked great! thank you!

[@TossSong]

I’m really glad to know this helped! Thank you for commenting.

[@ejderuiter]

Thank you so much brother! I was about to discard the trigger completely. Now it´s working fine again thanks to your advice.

[@TossSong]

Thank you for your comment. I'm very happy that this can help. Glad you got it working again. 😀

[@BrianHalePhoto]

For anyone updating in Aug 2024, if you're using an old version of the installer, DON'T! Download the latest version of the installer. That fixed mine but this video got me on the right track through hope lol

[@TossSong]

Thank you for your comment and for sharing. Great info! Yes, I would definitely recommend as well the latest version of the installer to be safe.

[@andreathiellhotakova]

Thank you !

[@TossSong]

Thank you for your comment. I’m glad this was helpful.

[@nycks1]

Great video, what the brand of the data cable?

[@TossSong]

Thank you for your comment. The cable I use came with my Canon PowerShot V10 (with a “magnetic USB-C adapter” from Amazon). You can use any as long as it’s data transferable. I use a variety even Apple Thunderbolt 3 cable and even a generic brand. They all work.

[@PrOGi986]

This works: Re-plug the USB cable, press and hold the test button and the select dial at the same time, then release the test button only, until "Upgrading" appears on the interface, then the device can be upgraded successfully through USB cable."

[@TossSong]

Thank you for sharing. This would be helpful for others using this X3.

[@epradeep]

A useful and good video .. Godox should seriously make things more user friendly and less confusing :). A quick question though.. after the firmware update.. the group A now shows a red line below the A, is that a new feature of the new firmware? What is the significance of the red colour?

[@TossSong]

Hi, thank you for your comment. Yes, it’s a new feature from the update. I’ll double check, the red line might signify that group A is currently selected, active, or has some special status. I’ll test it and see and let you know.

[@epradeep]

@@TossSong Thank you. Earlier today i checked and they have now given an option to add colour to every group or keep it white. With colour.. Group A is Red, Group B is Green, Group C is Blue and so on.. looks nice :).

[@TossSong]

That’s nice, we could now discern the groups more easily! Thanks for sharing this.

[@epradeep]

@@TossSong That is right. Looks cool. This was an update on firmware version 1.24 on my X3C trigger. I am really liking the form factor, the interface and pretty much everything about it :).

[@TossSong]

Yes, I agree. They have been releasing more firmwares for it than their other triggers. I’m very happy about this. Again thanks for sharing.

[@doronletzter]

The solution is not to download the G3 software, but to download the "G3 Launcher". Took me couple of hours to figure it out.

[@TossSong]

Thank you for your comment. This will definitely help.

[@jamesmgreen15]

Well I must have done something wrong as it was bricked. Brand new Windows PC and used to do all of this. I tried and tried on my PC and going nowhere. I went to another (also new FWIW) and BINGO this worked the first time on said other PC.......Scratching my head still. I hope this helps and thanks for the helpful vid.

[@TossSong]

Thank you for sharing. Glad you got it working somehow. Yeah, this could be such a pain. I’m glad you figured a way.

[@Pokemon12345-n]

I have faced the same problem. But I am not able to connect the device anymore. It displays device not connected. How to solve this problem.

[@TossSong]

Hi, thanks for reaching out. You’ll have to be patient by keep press the knob and hold it a long as you can wait (with or without pressing the test button together). Until you see something on its tiny lcd screen, like Chinese text. Then you could start the firmware update again.

[@ulvidasdamir]

Hello, during update it freeze , now it doesnt turn on.. help pls

[@TossSong]

Hi, thanks for reaching out. Don’t panic. Leave it for a couple of minutes. Then go back and press and hold the on/off button (with our without the test button) until the you get the Chinese text or any text. Plug it back in and try to firmware update again. (You could also plug it in first, then press and hold.)

[@FM_0555]

Hey, I tried all the above but I still cant get the trigger to boot. I went through the entire green progress bar and had update device success confirmation, pressed power disconnected the cable but cannot get the trigger to boot. The trigger displays Chinese text and an arrow when I reconnect now. tried about 8 times now

[@TossSong]

Hi, thanks for reaching out. Have you got it working since?Make sure the Launcher is V1.1 and the proper firmware for your X3 for your camera. And do it again. Let me know.

[@FM_0555]

@@TossSong Yes, did some Reddit surfing and found that the G3 updater I was using was V1.00 and it worked correctly on Ver1.01. I thought I Bricked it but happy its working. Also seems to have fixed my TTL issues I was having with odd exposures so another plus. Updated from Version 1.09 to 1.14. Thanks for the reply anyway.

[@rodrigoferraoO]

ola amigo tudo bem !! o meu estava ja na versao 1.9 porem depois de atualizar ficou na atualização 1.7 resetei ele mas baixando esta versao nao consigo mais voltar a versao 1.9

[@TossSong]

¿Has intentado actualizar de nuevo? Puedes sobrescribirlo y no causará ningún problema. Déjame saber cómo te va. Have you tried and update again? You can overwrite it and won't cause any issues. Let me know how it goes.

[@rogalaphotography]

So how did you solve this? Mine won't turn on no matter how many times I plug it in or out!

[@TossSong]

Thanks for reaching out. Try keep pressing and hold the knob for a while. Until you see text in Chinese. Release then try again. Be patient. Also, have to updater app on and try again and plug it in. Let me know how it goes. Thanks.

[@rogalaphotography]

@@TossSong I got it working after I commented…but then I couldn’t get the trigger to fire on my Canon R5. I reinstalled the firmware but it still didn’t work. I tried my XPro trigger and it worked fine so I knew it was the x3. I cleaned the hotshoe and contacts and checked my camera settings and still nothing. I reseated the trigger a couple times which didn’t work. Finally I put the trigger on all the way into the hot shoe then pulled it back just a bit. Now it’s working! I don’t remember the trigger being that fussy before upgrading to firmware 1.24….Thanks for your help!

[@TossSong]

Glad it works now. Don’t know why it’s fuzzy like that. Each X3’s contacts for each type of camera is different. Hopefully it’s not a quality control issue. When you can let me (us) know how it goes in the long run. Others may also be curious. Thanks.

[@LasseVågsætherKarlsen]

You need to have the v1.1 version of the G3 app, and I could only find a link to a Windows version, you need to have that program running, and you need to have selected the firmware file. Finally, you need to have the USB cable connected between the computer and the X3. When I did all that, and pressed and held the knob for a few seconds, the X3 turns on displaying a chinese upgrade screen. Hope this helps.

[@LasseVågsætherKarlsen]

@@TossSong It's important that the USB cable is connected and the G3 1.1 app is running and have a firmware file selected for this to work. Skipping any of those steps and my X3 would not turn on and seemed to be dead.

[@madtical777]

mine is bricked and i did what you said to attempt to unbrick it and it doesn't turn on. well I'm not in total despair. i will buy another one from amazon. and return the bricked one. smh

[@TossSong]

I think you should Not buy another. Try again, press the knob and hold it for awhile or press the test button at the same time. Also plug it back in. (And keep doing it, sometimes it takes a bit.) *And read other comments on here and my other X3 videos as well. Thanks for your feedback.

[@JDaddyT777]

unfortunately mine is bricked and plugging it back in does nothing. I've followed your exact steps and nothing.. So frustrating, I wish Godox would figure this out!

[@JDaddyT777]

Just for context, this is the second X3s trigger I've bought because I thought the first one was a lemon and I love the design and UI of this trigger so much.. I wish that it worked correctly. 2 major problems I had (hoping the firmware fixed - now bricked), is that none of the Godox triggers recognize Sony's built in Wireless Flash ON/OFF feature, so regardless of what it's set to, the trigger fires. As a real estate photographer who needs to bounce back and forth between flash and ambient lighting, it's extremely frustrating. And 2), 90% of the time I turn my X3 ON/OFF for this purpose, it disconnects from all my flashes. I'm often running 4 flashes and it gets very time consuming trying to work with this trigger. Now that it's bricked, it sits in my closet, what a waste of money. I contacted Godox support but provided Tier 1, lamo support. Such a huge let down as this trigger is sexy AF.

[@TossSong]

Hi thanks for reaching out. I see, could be frustrating. Hope everything turns out well. Next time, if it seems to be bricked, when the screen goes blank, you could try and press and hold the knob for a long bit. Keep doing it intermittently, then plug it in. Or open the Godox Launcher on the computer first, then plug it in. Again try it intermittently.

[@JDaddyT777]

@@TossSong I eventually received help from Godox's support team and they provided a successful solution, "The transmitter screen will turn black if abnormalities occur in upgrading. The solution is to re-plug the USB cable, press and hold the test button and the select dial at the same time, then release the test button only, until "Upgrading" appears on the interface, then the device can be upgraded successfully through USB cable." All that worked for me, now I'm hoping the firmware update made some huge improvements on connectivity. For those wondering, I do see that legacy hotshoe has now been added after the update.

[@TossSong]

Very glad you got yours back in working order. And Thank you for sharing this. There will definitely users searching for the solution.

[@luismanuelmendoza789]

How do i get to that chinese screen/?

[@TossSong]

I know it might be frustrating, I’ve experienced this several times over. But Be patient, leave it off your hands for a bit. Then go back and keep pressing and holding the on/off (and with our without the test button at the same time) on the trigger. Eventually the Chinese text appear. Also plug it in for power just in case the battery is low on the trigger.

[@juangraciavideo]

Godox G3 MacOS V1.1. Both don't exist for download

[@TossSong]

Hi, they now have the Godox G3 Launcher V1.1 for macOS back. Side note, don’t forget to select “Update” on the trigger (Device Info) in the last step when updating it.

[@TossSong]

Hi again, they now have the Godox G3 Launcher V1.1 for macOS back. Side note, don’t forget to select “Update” on the trigger (Device Info) in the last step when updating it.

[@colfotografoslucas2700]

En caso de que no esté claro... GODOX X3 TIGGER 1 Abra el godox programa G3 y cargue el version firmware 2 conecte el cable según el producto al godox x3. Tenga en cuenta que está apagado 3 mantenga presionado el botón de control giratorio durante unos segundos hasta que aparezca la palabra actualización en idioma chino en el Godox X3. presiona Ir para actualizar en tu computadora, espera 15 segundos 4 Cuando la barra de progreso en verde se detenga y la ventana muy difícil de leer que está sobre ella indique que la actualización se completó, haz clic en "Salir" Finalmente y listo. Desenchufe el cable ok

[@shejin679]

use correct firmware and firmware updater,, else it will brick

[@Phoenixfilms.photos]

they have deleted the IOS version :/

[@TossSong]

Hi, they now have the Godox G3 Launcher V1.1 for macOS back. Side note, don’t forget to select “Update” on the trigger (Device Info) in the last step when updating it.