I just bought a player. Which firmware should I install?

Start with the standard firmware.

As you become more familiar with the player and understand its features and specific usage requirements, you can install custom/modded firmware later.

Which MicroSD card should I use, and how should I format it?

• Recommended memory card brands are Samsung, Lexar, and Kingston. Make sure the card is genuine.
SanDisk memory cards are not recommended. I have encountered many complaints about them on various forums, even before the introduction of HiBy OS.

• It is recommended to format the card as exFAT with a 128 KB cluster size.

With a 128 KB cluster size:

• fewer filesystem entries are required;
• fewer operations are needed when sequentially reading large files;
• cluster chain fragmentation is reduced;
• media library scanning is faster.

This is why many HiBy, FiiO, and Shanling users recommend formatting memory cards with a 128 KB cluster size.

This does not make the SD card itself faster, but it slightly reduces filesystem overhead.

What is the best way to transfer and organize music?

• Do not use the player as an intermediate device for transferring music files (i.e. do not transfer files by connecting the player directly to the computer).

It is recommended to connect the memory card directly to the computer, either using a card reader or a MicroSD → USB 3.0 adapter. This helps avoid possible transfer errors and corrupted files, while also increasing transfer speed.

• It is recommended to place artist folders directly in the root directory of the memory card:

/Artist/Album/song.flac

rather than:

/Music/Artist/Album/song.flac

What general usage recommendations are there?

• Users have noticed that audio files with large embedded covers (larger than 600×600) may load with a delay. This can overload the device's RAM and potentially cause a reboot, especially when quickly scrolling through tracks.

Therefore, it is recommended to organize album artwork in one of the following ways:

• Use cover.jpg instead of embedded artwork:

Place a single cover.jpg file (preferably no larger than 600×600) in the album folder and remove the embedded covers from the audio files. This prevents the player from having to display the same image again when switching between tracks.

This does not significantly speed up playback or track switching, but it makes the interface feel smoother: the "slideshow" effect of repeatedly displaying identical covers disappears, making track switching more comfortable.

This approach can be used for your main studio albums. If you have many singles stored in the same folder, you can leave their embedded covers intact.

• If you prefer embedded artwork, or simply do not want to deal with placing cover files into individual album folders, it is recommended to resize embedded covers to 350×350 to optimize player performance.

Note: In the Rockbox port, cover filenames are case-sensitive. Therefore, the correct filename is cover.jpg, not Cover.jpg.

Note 2: A Quick Guide to Editing Embedded Album Covers Quickly:

1. Open Mp3Tag, select all the music folders on your flash drive, and drag them into the program window. You do not need to copy the music to your computer first.
2. Press Ctrl+A to select everything. Then right-click the area where the album covers are displayed in the program. It will say "Multiple Covers".
3. In the window that opens, set the desired image size (or the recommended 350×350), set the quality slider to "Highest", and click "OK".
4. Left-click the selected list to start the compression process. When prompted "Save changes", click "Yes". The program will then process everything automatically.

• The system normally uses automatic media library scanning. With a large number of music files, this can overload RAM and consequently cause periodic player reboots.

The main recommendation is: do not scan the media library. Use the file browser and navigate through folders to select the desired artist and album.

If you do not want to give up features that depend on media library scanning (i.e. you do not want to use folder navigation through the file browser), you can optimize the scanning process somewhat:

In playback settings:

• Media Library Update → Manual
• MQA Decoding and Recognition → OFF

Where can I get replacement parts? Display/Battery?

At the moment, a replacement battery for the HiBy R3 Pro II is available here.

• Almost no other replacement parts are available for sale. Most types of repair, except for replacing the connector or battery, will probably not be economically worthwhile.

• For batteries, you can find a compatible universal battery based on the physical "size code" indicated on the original battery cell and transfer the protection/controller board from the old battery.

• Important: The donor battery must have a voltage of 3.85 V. Installing a 3.7 V cell may result in overcharging, which can negatively affect the battery's service life.

Photos of the disassembled device can be found in the first post of the corresponding device thread.

I loaded music, but track names contain Chinese characters / FLAC tracks are not recognized in some folders

You need to change the .cue file encoding from ANSI to UTF-8, for example using Notepad++. After that, Cyrillic characters should be displayed correctly.

Tracks are skipped / The player reboots at the same point in a track

Check the selected audio files for decoding errors:

• Download and install foobar2000.

• Add the music to your library or playlist.

• Select the required files.

• Right-click → Utilities → Verify Integrity.

foobar2000 will check the entire audio stream and report CRC errors, corrupted frames, or other problems if they are found.

How do I enable the radio? The player asks for “Radio.txt”

The player supports Internet radio only. You can connect to radio stations by creating a list of links to the desired stations in a text file named Radio.txt, using the following format:

Radio GOOD, http://ep128.streamr.com
Music Paty, https://dfm.hostingradio.com/dfm128.mp3
AutoRadio, http://ic7.101.com:8000/s2
and so on

What is Rockbox? What are the differences between the firmware types?

• Rockbox Port: https://www.rockbox.org/wiki/HibyPort

This is an unofficial port of Rockbox for devices running HiBy OS. It runs alongside the stock system without replacing it. It provides extensive customization options, its own user interface, a powerful equalizer, and many additional features. However, because it is still under development, some device features may not work completely.

Currently, ports are available for the HiBy R1 and R3 Pro II: https://www.rockbox.org/wiki/HibyPort

A port for the Tempotec V1 is being developed by an enthusiast from Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/rockbox/comments/1v0f1v9/tempotec_v1_variations_port/

• Differences between firmware types and ports:

Stock Firmware

This is the official firmware from HiBy that comes installed on the player from the factory. It provides the full set of manufacturer's features, including Bluetooth, USB DAC, OTA updates, HiBy Link, and other functions.

It is suitable for users who want to use the device "as intended by the manufacturer", without any modifications.

Firmware with Rockbox Bootloader

This is essentially the same official HiBy firmware, but with a special bootloader installed.

The bootloader itself does not replace the firmware and does not change how HiBy OS works. If there is no Rockbox installation on the memory card, the player boots normally as a stock device.

The main purpose of the bootloader is to allow Rockbox to be launched from the memory card and to quickly switch between Rockbox and the original firmware. This allows you to use two operating systems on the same player.

Rockbox (port for HiBy R1/R3 Pro II)

Rockbox is a completely alternative operating system for the player, developed by an independent community of enthusiasts. It does not replace HiBy OS; instead, it is launched from the memory card through the installed bootloader.

I want to edit the firmware/theme/font. What software should I use to work with the firmware?

hiby-modding: https://github.com/hiby-modding

This is an open community of developers and enthusiasts working on research, modification, and development of HiBy OS-based devices. The organization brings together several projects related to firmware reverse engineering, firmware modification tools, custom firmware development, porting new software (such as Rockbox), and documentation of the hardware and software aspects of these devices.

The main goal of the project is to provide the community with a single place for collaborative development, knowledge sharing, and publication of research results.

How do I enable ADB?

Settings → About Device

In the About Device menu, there will be a label saying "About Device" in the upper-left corner.

Tap on it 10 times.

Button combinations

• Hold the Power button for approximately 8–10 seconds to force-reboot the player.

• With the player turned off, hold Volume Up + Power to force the device into the bootloader and automatically install firmware from the memory card.

This is useful when a firmware update has been stuck on the loading bar for more than 5 minutes.

• Entering Burn Mode: Turn off the player, hold the Next button, and connect the player to a computer while continuing to hold the button. The device should appear as "ingenic USB BOOT DEVICE".

This is only required for recovering a bricked device using firmware in .ingenic format through USB Cloner Tool on a computer.

The player is completely bricked. What should I do?

If the device does not respond to anything, try the following:

• Connect it to a charger and hold the Power button for approximately 8–10 seconds. The player will force-reboot and may detect the charger correctly.

• Enter Burn Mode and leave the player connected to the computer for a couple of hours. The battery may slowly recover from the low current available in this mode.

• If button combinations, different cables, power supplies, and leaving the player charging overnight do not help, the only option may be to disassemble the device and temporarily connect a replacement battery.

• As a last resort, try flashing the device with a service firmware in .ingenic format using USB Cloner Tool on a computer.