"Software update" vs "firmware update" — what's actually on your mower, and why it matters

The three things that update, separately

Mammotion mowers involve three pieces of software, each with its own version number, its own update schedule, and — critically — its own answer to "can I undo this?"¹

1. The phone app

This is what you install from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store — the interface you actually tap on. It handles setup, mapping, scheduling, and remote control, but it isn't what makes the mower physically move or avoid obstacles.

• Where you find the version: the app's own About/Settings screen.
• Can you roll it back? Yes, on Android — see our Android rollback guide. iOS is more restricted; see the iOS guide for what's actually possible there.
• When this is the problem: app crashes, login issues, map editor bugs, notification problems, Bluetooth pairing issues with your phone specifically.

2. The mower's own firmware ("body firmware")

This lives on the mower itself — the software that actually drives the wheels, reads the sensors, decides where the blade is allowed to run, and enforces boundaries. It's pushed over-the-air (OTA) through the app, but it's a completely separate install from the app itself.

• Where you find the version: usually under a "Device Info" or "About Device" screen inside the app, not the app's own About screen. It'll look like a longer version string (e.g. 1.30.29.26 or 2.3.30.35) — the numbering scheme is different for different mower generations, which is normal, not a typo.
• Can you roll it back? No confirmed manual path exists for this, on either platform, as of this writing. This is the single biggest reason this site exists — most of what we track is body-firmware behavior, because it's the one category owners currently have no official way to undo.
• When this is the problem: the mower gets stuck, crosses boundaries it shouldn't, has blade behavior issues, navigation regressions, or any change in physical mowing behavior after an update prompt. If the app looks and behaves the same but the mower is acting differently, it's almost always this.

3. The RTK station firmware

If your setup includes an RTK reference station (the small unit that gives the mower centimeter-level positioning, used on LiDAR/NetRTK-equipped models), that station runs its own firmware too — separate again from both the app and the mower body.

• Where you find the version: inside the app's device list, listed as its own separate device from the mower.
• Can you roll it back? Partially — Mammotion provides an official manual tool for this one specific piece of hardware. See our RTK station firmware guide.
• When this is the problem: positioning drift, "NetRTK disconnected" errors, GPS/RTK signal issues that don't correlate with a mower-body firmware update.

Why this matters before you touch anything

The most common mistake we see in forum threads: an owner has a real problem, correctly suspects "an update broke something," but doesn't know which of the three things updated — so they either roll back the wrong thing (the app, when the mower body firmware was the actual cause) or give up because "there's no way to roll back" (true for body firmware, not necessarily true for the app).

Before following any fix on this site:

1. Check what actually changed. If you got an app-store update notification, that's #1. If the app prompted "a new firmware update is available for your mower," that's #2. If it specifically named the RTK station or reference station, that's #3.
2. Note the exact version number for whichever one changed — screenshots of the update/device-info screen are genuinely useful if you're posting in a forum asking for help, since "it broke after the update" without a version number is very hard for anyone (including Mammotion) to act on.
3. Match your situation to the right guide on this site rather than the first one you find — a LUBA 2X guide won't necessarily apply to a LUBA 3, and an app-rollback guide won't fix a body-firmware navigation bug.