Shure PLAY vs Headphone Control
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Shure PLAY
This app allows users to personalize their Shure AONIC wireless listening products. It offers advanced EQ customization, adjustable noise cancellation, and a built-in high-resolution music player for an enhanced audio experience.
- Customize Shure AONIC product settings
- Parametric EQ for audio customization
- Save EQ settings to device
- Adjust Environment Mode
- Active Noise Cancellation control
- High-res music player
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Shure PLAY lets you personalize and update Shure AONIC products, as well as play high-res audio files. Listen with advanced parametric EQ in the app or save your EQ settings directly to your supported Shure devices for a customized experience wherever you get your music, podcasts, and more. Features: • Customize your Shure AONIC wireless listening products — choose button functionality, select prompts & tones, and more • Customizable EQ in the app or on your device — choose a preset or create your own • Modify Environment Mode to interact with your surroundings • Block out the noise with adjustable Active Noise Cancellation • Interactive User Guide — get to know your product • Hi-Res Music Player — import and play your music files * ANC, button customization, and hardware EQ are available on select products
Headphone Control
Tailor your audio experience with this app, offering custom adjustments and personalization for select Yamaha headphones and earbuds. Control ambient sound, listening care, and equalizer settings. Access user guides and update firmware for supported models.
- Adjust Ambient Sound
- Customize Listening Care
- Personalize Equalizer (EQ)
- Access User Guide
- Update Firmware
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The Yamaha Headphone Control app allows custom feature adjustment and personalization for select Yamaha headphones and earbuds. SUPPORTED MODEL - Yamaha TW-E5B, TW-ES5A, TW-E7B,TW-E3C,YH-E700B, YH-L700A, YH-L500A APP FEATURES - CONTROL: Easily navigate and adjust settings such as Ambient Sound and Listening Care. - PERSONALIZE: Customize Equalizer (EQ) settings to suit your preferences. - SUPPORT: Quick access to User Guide and instructional videos. - UPDATE: Keep your earbuds up-to-date with latest firmware. NOTE: - Some features may not be available for all models. - Some models may not be available in all countries or regions. - This App does NOT work with the following models: YH-E700A, YH-E500A, TW-E3B, TW-E3A, EP-E70A, EP-E50A, EP-E30A *You will need to download and use the Yamaha HEADPHONES CONTROLLER App for these specific models.
Screenshots
Verdict
Shure PLAY and Headphone Control both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 44% of Shure PLAY's written reviews are positive against 26% of Headphone Control's. Shure PLAY also leads on ratings volume (1.2K vs 127) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Shure PLAY against 4.6 for Headphone Control. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shure PLAY has 1.2K ratings behind it against 127, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 44% of Shure PLAY's written reviews are positive against 26% of Headphone Control's.
Shure PLAY ships an update every 2 months, Headphone Control every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Shure PLAY | Headphone Control |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (1.2K ratings) | 4.6 (127 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 43.6% of reviews — better | 26.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.2K — better | 127 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 71 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Shure | Yamaha Corporation |
Customer experience
Shure PLAY
Headphone Control
Bugs and requests
Shure PLAY
Reported bugs
4 issues- Inability to update firmware
- Inconsistent Bluetooth pairing
- Music playback issues after iOS updates
- Unreliable battery level reporting
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to use EQ with other music apps
- Playlist import and management
- Firmware update support for more Shure products
- Improved multi-device connectivity
- Customizable button controls
Headphone Control
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Shure PLAY
No in-app purchases
Headphone Control
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Shure PLAY free?
Is Headphone Control free?
Which has better reviews, Shure PLAY or Headphone Control?
Do Shure PLAY or Headphone Control have ads?
Which is updated more often, Shure PLAY or Headphone Control?
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