AkidaTag firmware release notes

Firmware releases are published at https://github.com/Brainchip-Inc/AkidaTag/releases. Every release carries its full list of changes in its release body, taken from the repository’s CHANGELOG.md, which is the authority. This page is the short version: what each release was for, what is known to be wrong with it, and what each attached file does.

Versions

Versions follow MCUboot’s major.minor.revision+build form, the version the tag’s bootloader reads out of the image header. The build counter resets to 0 whenever major.minor.revision changes. The app shows the same version on its firmware update screen.

Releases

Release	Date	What it was for
v1.2.0+0	2026-09-14	Pre-release. The product rename from Spark to AkidaTag, firmware update over the USB-C cable with no probe and no button, a build that works from a fresh clone, and the Akida engine committed to the tree.

Known issues in v1.2.0+0

• A tag on v1.2.0+0 cannot load a model from BrainChip Connect v1.0.0+0. The app speaks the block-by-block model transfer that landed on main after the release. Update the firmware to the latest release, https://github.com/Brainchip-Inc/AkidaTag/releases/latest, before loading a model.
• Turning Edge Learning on in the app restarts the tag. Fixed on main; not yet released.

On main, not yet released

• The block-by-block model transfer the app uses, with every write carrying its position and the tag acknowledging what it has stored.
• The edge learning toggle fault above.
• The microphone gain set for keyword spotting.

What each release file is for

File	Use it for
akidatag-<version>.signed.bin	Updating from the app over Bluetooth, or from a computer over USB-C. The application image only, signed with BrainChip’s production key.
akidatag-<version>-dfu.zip	The same image packaged with a manifest. The app accepts either file.
akidatag-<version>.signed.hex	The same image for a programmer that takes Intel HEX.
akidatag-<version>-merged.hex	Flashing a board with a debug probe: the bootloader plus the application. This is the only file that changes which signing key a board trusts. See the developer guide.
SHA256SUMS.txt	Checking a download: the checksum of every file above.

Each release also attaches the model packages akidatag-kws-model.zip and akidatag-kws-edge-learning-model.zip; see Load a model.