How do I update my Bose Wireless Headphones?

Many times you see complaints on firmware update not successful or connection issue with Bose connect App. Mostly the reasons are poor preparation before starting update.

So I suggest you to follow simple steps below which will ensure that your headphones stay connected to the phone or tablet running the Bose Connect app and updates successfully.

Step by Step Guide for preparation of Bose headphones for firmware update –

Step 1

Charge your headphones to 100% battery level before you install any firmware updates

Step 2

• Disconnect your headphones from the charger
• Power them ON
• Place the headphones very near to your phone or tablet which you are going to use for firmware update

Step 3

• Connect your headphones to mobile or tab using Bose Connect App
• Now goto Bose Connect app Settings >> Set auto off to >> NEVER.
  Note – Do not forget to revert these settings back once the firmware update is over.

Step 4

Now this STEP is not mandatory, but like Good To Have.

So I suggest you to keep the Bose Connect app in running in foreground on your phone or tablet rather than running it in the background.

I know you will say that all latest mobile phones are multitasking and able to run many applications in the background ! However I have seen that unknowingly or due to antivirus or similar protection apps, there may be chance that the background app is forced to quit, which means your firmware update will fail.

So better to keep phone busy for this purpose rather than starting over again!

Step 5

As told in the beginning you should keep the headphones physically near to your phone or tab which you are using for this update.

Since the process will take about an hour or so, in case you move your phone / tab away from headphones, there are chances that the Bluetooth connection is lost / out of range / poor, which again means you may have to restart again.

Again this is one of the major reason of update failure.

Done

You can simply check once in between on progress, it will take approximately an hour or so to complete the update.

Problems that you may face during connection to the Bose Connect App

Problem – Cannot pair with Bose Connect App / not recognized by Bluetooth Device Updater

• Check device battery level > 20%

  The battery level of your headphones must be above 20% in order for an update to be installed

• If Wireless does not work – Try Wired update

  As described in depth in my article, wireless updates are more vulnerable to connectivity issues, so if wireless option does not work, go ahead and try updating the headphones via connection to your computer / Mac with a USB cable

• Outdated Bose Connect App

  Sometimes it is as simple as updating the Bose Connect App itself !
  Goto the App store to make sure that your App is at latest version.

• Repairing helps

  Many times software’s work in weird way.
  Best way is to FORGET the headphones from the paired device list and repair the headphones. It sounds stupid, but it works amazingly (sometimes!)

  So once you clear the headphones from your phone paired device list, you need to repair them.

  Note – Slide and hold the power switch to the right to the Bluetooth symbol for 10 seconds or until you hear “Bluetooth device list cleared” Now the headset will revert to discoverable mode, allowing for the pairing of another Bluetooth device

• Clear the Bose Connect app cache (For all Android phones)

  Goto Settings >> “Apps” or “Applications” >> select “Bose Connect” >> press “Clear Cache” and “Clear Data.”

  Note – This will reset all Bose Connect app settings.

• Counterfeit items fail to update

  When I googled for this issue, it indicates that people have faced this issue only when the products they bought are counterfeit or fake !
  Obviously the product serial numbers are not recognized, blocking access to the App.
  So best way is to buy products from Bose stores or branded websites like Amazon.com

  Reference for this counterfeit point was taken from – This page