Sena Utility Reviews

by A-REAL-Dermatologist

Here’s the deal: I’m a pretty smart guy, having more years of education after college then most people are old, but SenaUtility is undecipherable to me and it’s instructions to Connect to other 20 S communicators.

I swear that it is the most confounding unit I have ever seen in terms of being able to pair a group or even a single rider with my sena. I agree with so many other posts here which are negative to this product, that I can not, for the life of me, understand why The Company does not take some positive action to either replace these units, fix them, and send them back out again, or rewrite the whole program and approach to handling these them, and then submit this to all of us who have paid sometimes thousands of dollars to get sets of radios working. I encourage everyone to keep writing to this company to beg them for an update which makes sense, and is actually stabile and which actually works with our radios.

On a rare occasion that the unit chooses to pair with another, it works wonderfully, but only for a few minutes, until I mistakenly hit the wrong button, wheel, or other mode of operation. Have we ever gotten a decent upgrade,? That would be a no.

by Oacmaster

This SENA app does not work. My sena works to Bluetooth to my phone without issues however when I attempt to use SenaUtility the "If your headset cannot be connected with SenaUtility, please update your headset to the latest firmware version." I did everything from the sena website, to include downloading the updates and updating the SENA SR10 and nothing. I reset it and nothing. I attempted it again, nothing. Turned it on and off to power cycle numerous times. SenaUtility does not work and it's time for SENA to admit the have a garbage app but a good product. Hire someone to fix your broken app already, SENA.

by The Ramblin Man

The website for this company says that they released version 1.1 on September 23 for my device. It will not show up on the desktop software or in this application. I contacted the company for help. They wrote me back as if I was an idiot and told me to download the software and try to update it. What did you think I was doing? That’s exactly what I told you was not working. No volume boost some music is pathetically low volume.

I regret buying their products. This application stinks.

by Restbol

Sena has to be the laziest company involved with motorcycle riding. They offer the same hardware for 6 years, offer updates that make things worse for 6 years straight. I’ll give you a tip…. Never update your Sena and most programs will work 3/4 of the time. I tried emailing Sena for in regards to customer service. I never got a response.. Their Mac updates do not work either. I sent over the trouble shoot codes multiple times for them to ignore my emails. When I went to cycle gear they states that it was common for Sena to not update on macs, that none of them recommend updating the hardware. I will never buy or use another Sena product again. Instead of making the basics work they up their price every new model because of some “feature” no one wants or is asking for. Do yourself a favor and buy a Cardo instead.

by Zack’s Snack Shack

It’s one thing if Stone Age tech is solid and intuitive, as grandma says “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” but that can’t be said about SenaUtility, it’s feature set and the confounding nature of what “feature” does what - I want helmet speakers that play my turn by turn directions so I don’t need to glance at my phone. But wait “HD voice” oooh fancy high definition makes turn by turn not play correctly, wait what?

When a companies user guide cannot explain to someone easily how to use its product or software who I would self qualify as technically savvy (and judging by other reviews) not the only mechanically inclined motorcycle enthusiast ready to shell out a few hundred bennies for a Bluetooth headset. And seemingly takes years to hire a new UI designer to appease the eyeballs and fingertips of its customers, you gotta wonder where they put their R&D money? Every year, new bells and whistles but the foundation tech isn’t solid… but I digress.

by JustPuckinWithU

Like others, I am unable to connect my Sena headset to SenaUtility , to adjust settings. Firmware updated. Reconnected Bluetooth device to phone. Reinstalled Sena Utility App...

After contacting customer support, I’ve been informed SenaUtility is NOT COMPATIBLE with the SMH10R (though it is with the 10r). What a buzzkill...writing this review so that others aren’t left scratching their heads the way that I was. Rest assured, settings can still be accessed through the headset itself... but good luck navigating that in a pinch!

Love the headset, wish SenaUtility could support all models.

by Robtast

I’m amazed that a product as well known and as decent of quality does not have an app that’s works. I have the 50R installed in my motorcycle helmet, I bought the unit because the reviews of the actual unit are good, which it is: sounds great. BUT, SenaUtility is absolute garbage! I’ve installed, uninstalled, updated my iOS system and it still doesn’t function properly. I’ve done two tickets with Sena for help and no response. I was lucky enough to get someone to help me link it to my phone so I can use it but I’m unable to access any of the other useful info like what
The buttons do, how to answer the phone , the ability to get updates. I could go in and on but I’m done. Be warned

by Ron7777

I downloaded SenaUtility to use with my Sena 20s SenaUtility is just awful, it connects and disconnects constantly , I’m mean in a never ending loop. You cannot use the tools or the settings in it , most items are grayed out and unusable , you cannot update, it’s surprising being this unit is not cheap. If you like headaches and glitches then this is for you.... I deleted it after 2 days, I’m sorry, but this is probably one of the worst apps I have ever attempted to use
I could only give one star, but it really needs -⭐️ a negative 1

by JoshuaJ37

With the quality of headsets you produce, I would expect far better from you on SenaUtility as well. I've been able to connect SenaUtility to my brand new 20s a whopping 2 times before it decided to have the "non connection" issue that so many other people on here have reported. Where SenaUtility says to connect the 20s unit to your phone, when it's already connected and I'm able to listen to music and make calls. I love the headset, got all my buddies to buy them too, but we're not able to fully utilize the functions due to SenaUtility being terrible..

by PX29

I hate SenaUtility. When I want to power up my SENA 20s and connect to 2 or 3 other SENA 20s's most times SenaUtility quits. (Unreliable) When it doesn't quit, the group pairing process fails.(poor user interface and difficult to use ) Today it actually paired and we made a 3 person group. After about 3 minutes of talking in the parking lot all of the Sena20s's became full of static and garbled voices. So it's Turn all off, restart SenaUtility and try again. Repeat! Repeat! See above. I gave up and vowed to never use these devices but I've got $1300 into them (4) 20s and (1) 10c. None seem to work consistently and that sets the tone for a lousy ride

by Wyofisher

I just installed and the left ear seems louder than the right, I checked the speakers for even placement. I was hoping to find a volume balance in SenaUtility . But SenaUtility will not communicate with the headset. I am connected via Bluetooth, and the Sena voice keeps say “remote control connected” then “remote control disconnected”. Any tips for SenaUtility on an iPhone?

I tried to submit this directly to Sena first, but they seem to be incredibly interested in collecting all of my personal information, not with communicating with the customer. I’m not that interested in giving everything over to a stranger to sell on the web.

by Bob_C.

I have two boom evo s20’s and neither will connect to Bluetooth using my IPhone 10? What am I doing wrong? Or is this an issue with Sena head sets.

I have reset my iPhone 11 Pro Max to factory settings and still there is a Bluetooth connectivity issue with SenaUtility , I also tried to install the SenaUtility using my wife’s iPhone 6 and still have a Bluetooth connectivity issue preventing me from pairing either of my two Boom EVO 20’s to my phone #very dissatisfied having paid well in excess of $500. Plus!

Please review and advise in a much needed fix.

by Cher4ed

I really wanted to like this but it is o poorly designed. The UI must have been designed by a wanna-be high school developer. Please, make the changes that are needed to make this a great app. I’m about ready to return my helmet so I don’t have to deal with SenaUtility. Why can’t I update my firmware from SenaUtility ? Do I really need to download it to my computer?

by Lgdgbv

I just did the firmware update on my Sena 10S (to the just-released 2.0). Since then, every time I launch SenaUtility it says “There is a new version available in SenaUtility Store.“ But the version in SenaUtility Store is 2.5.5, the same as the installed version. Why does it keep asking for an update? And why doesn’t it update through the normal App Store update process instead of having to delete and install a new version?
I like Sena’s hardware, but man, their software really needs some work.

by Arrrrghhhhhhhhh1

I like seeing the different profiles of the different headsets of other riders I’ve connected to. Still trying to get the hang of toggling between my music on the iPhone and the intercom. The FM reception of the 10c is not too good and gets worse if I connect it to the bikes electrical system. So now I have a separate battery pack in my pocket that I connect to so I can run the camera video tagging all day. Otherwise the camera only last about an hour and a bit before the dreaded “battery low”. Receiving Phone calls are super. Dialing out is a trick.

The 10c is a Swiss Army knife: it does everything, some better than others some worse but at least it does everything.

Get the 32 gig card.

by Needs IPhone 5 Update !

Come on Sena we need a better upgrade you’ve made tons of sales and selling a product at a high ticket value with minimal features, seriously for Superbike riders at high speeds we can’t have a conversation with mesh intercom because of all the noise, not to mention phone calls too, also the speakers distort at high volume, and to top it off you can’t even make a great app, SenaUtility is absolute garbage, we are on the 2nd Generation of iPhone X and can’t make it fit to screen?!! Come on fix that and fix the GUI make it look modern and sleek and easy to use! With even lower latency. I’ve bought Sena 20s & two 30K which I’m not impressed with and as well as the Sena Bluetooth audio pack, but I don’t even care for Ultra HD Voice feature, it’s really a gimmick. I’ll be buying The new carro Packtalk with JBL speakers soon.

by Angel Rosendo

If you own a motorcycle and hopefully a helmet, I highly recommend getting a Sena Bluetooth Communication System. I currently have the 20S EVO and it works great. Audio quality and volume are higher than expected. SenaUtility has been working great for me so I'm not sure why there are so many bad reviews. I'm guessing SenaUtility might have some problems with certain phone's OS. I have an iPhone 7+ running iOS 11.4 and haven't had a single issue.

by BuddyFriendly

I don't get all the negative reviews. SenaUtility looks and works fine. Its easy to navigate and do what you need to do to get your hardware working and programmed.
If it says there is an update available, there is! If it doesn't show in SenaUtility store SenaUtility store hasn't updated on your phone yet... just open SenaUtility store go ti the sena app listing and wait 2-3 minutes.... thats not a sena issue and isn't unique to SenaUtility.

by Heyboer39

I have the 20S. SenaUtility works perfectly. I usually don't ever give reviews but after seeing all of the negative reviews I had to. Sena products are absolutely amazing. I drive truck and use a blue parrot Bluetooth and thought it was great. I called a buddy the day I bought my shovel lowrider with straight pipes going 65 miles per hour on the interstate and he said I sounded like I was sitting next to him on the couch. Absolutely no background noise. By the way, no face shield. Direct wind in my face. Still no noise.

by Holte Ender

I was apprehensive at first when I saw the star ratings, but the install couldn’t have been easier. Updating the firmware to the latest version was equally easy, and so far everything works as I’d hope.
(I have two R2 bicycle helmets)

by WKJ99

I can not for the life of me get the Sena app to stay connected. It will connect and in the middle of changing my headset settings, it will tell me SenaUtility needs to shut down and restart. I had forgotten why I uninstalled SenaUtility previously but now I quickly remember. So frustrating. My husband has no issues. We have the same size iPhone and use the same internet WiFi. I just don’t understand. Uninstalling again!! Hopefully Sena gets this fixed!!!

by Oasis RV Resort Customer

Great idea SENA has. Now, let’s perfect it. At least update to the point where they are manageable & dependable. It’s very frustrating when we pay this kind of $ and it doesn’t work. Our rides would be so much more enjoyable if SENA would make them user friendly! This is our second model of them & still not satisfied for the performance of the system. Anyone else feel it too? Please help to get the word out to SENA that they NEED to do something SOON if they care about customer satisfaction.

by Ninja ZX10R- Sena SMH10R

I have the SMH10R. I updated the firmware tonight to the newest version 5.1.2. I have triple checked I have the newest firmware. I have deleted and reinstalled the Sena Utility app numerous time. Rebooted my iPhone X. It says “pair Sena headset to this iPhone”. I’m wearing the helmet, paired, listening to iTunes, sitting in my living room, and a window pops up “if your headset cannot be connected with SenaUtility, please update the headset to the latest firmware version”. What am I doing wrong?

This device streams iTunes and Pandora beautifully. However, the phone calls are broken up, like it is loosing connection. This issue is noticed sitting still, phone in chest pocket. I was advised by a local bike shop that an update should cure the phone call issue.

Please help.

by Njrxman

It’s important to update your device with the latest firmware. I was not able to connect to the Sena app until I updated my R1. Once updated, everything works as it should. When you figure out the button presses on the R1 its a breeze to change FM presets and to control music from your phone.

by Spprice2013

I love SenaUtility. The one hesitation is that the microphone from other riders pick up too much noise. Anything over 25 mph, all you hear is the other bike. The auto adjust doesn’t work and I can’t hear my music when the bikes start reviving past idle. I wish you could mute the mics or it would not pick up ambient sounds.

by Carlos Alvarez

I have no idea what the low reviews are all about. The UI is obvious and simple. There's a help bubble that explains each function right there next to each item. I ran through every single setting in five minutes and I was ready to ride.

by ScepticalRussian

It’t not as flashy of an interface but it works great when you need to check your header settings of change them. Also I like the quick guide feature that allows you have manuals stored in SenaUtility for fast reference.

by Tmstim

My wife and I each have a 20S and we absolutely love them AND SenaUtility. I was shocked to see all of the negative reviews. We’re going into our 3rd season with them and I can’t think of a single issue that we’ve had with the hardware or SenaUtility .