Bose is a well-known name when it comes to high-quality audio products, and their headphones are no exception. In order to pair with an iPhone, the Bose headphones need to support Bluetooth. So, in this detailed article, we will learn how to connect Bose headphones to iPhone and how to unpair them. Also, we will share some troubleshooting tips if your Bose headphones won’t connect to your iPhone.
How to connect Bose headphones to iPhone via Bluetooth
You might think there is one way to pair your Bose headphones with an iPhone via Bluetooth, which is by using your iPhone’s Settings app. But you would be wrong, for there is another method that involves a third-party app called the Bose Connect App. It is a free Bose app that is designed to let you unlock the full potential of your Bose products from your iPhone. In this section, we will show you both methods.
Connecting Bose headphones to iPhone via the Settings app
It is the traditional way to connect any Bluetooth-enabled device to your iPhone. So, before you move further, make sure that the Bluetooth is turned on on your iPhone. Here’s the step-by-step process on how to pair Bose headphones to iPhone with the Settings app.
Step 1: First, you need to turn on the power button or the Bluetooth button on your Bose headphone. You’ll likely find the button on the right earpiece of the headphone. Once you do that, you might hear a voice “Ready to pair” or see color indications like blue or red to green. This is the process of how to make your Bose headphones discoverable to an iPhone.
Step 2: On your iPhone, open the Settings app and select Bluetooth. You should’ve already had your iPhone’s Bluetooth turned on by this point. If not, you can do it now.
Step 3: Next, you need to look for the Bose headphone under the Other Devices section. Tap on the headphone when its name appears on the list and wait for the Bluetooth connection to be made. Once it does, the name of the headphone will now move under the My Devices section, and you’ll see “Connected” appears beside. This indicates that your headphone is now paired with your iPhone.
Connecting Bose headphones to iPhone via the Bose Connect App
Another way to pair your Bose headphone with your iPhone is by using the free Bose Connect App. For this method, you also need to ensure that your iPhone’s Bluetooth is turned on. So, here’s the step-by-step process on how to pair Bose wireless headphones to iPhone using the Bose Connect app.
Step 1: To begin, you need to install the Bose Connect App on your iPhone from the App Store. It is a completely free app from Bose.
Step 2: Next, you need to turn on the Bluetooth of your Bose headphone. Normally, turning on the headphone does the trick. You need to press a button on the right ear piece of the headphone. Doing this will make the Bose headphone discoverable to the iPhone.
Step 3: Now, launch the Bose Connect App on your iPhone.
Step 4: The Bose Connect App should automatically detect your Bose headphone. When your headphone appears on the app, you’ll see a “Drag To Connect” text with a downward pointing icon below the headphone. You need to swipe down on the screen to start the pairing process.
Step 5: The Bose headphones begin the connection process with your iPhone, and you’ll notice the word “Connecting” appear on the bottom.
Step 6: Once the pairing process is complete, you need to tap on the Ready To Play option to start listening to the audio on your iPhone.
How to connect Bose headphones to iPhone via the 3.5mm Audio Jack
If you own a wired Bose headphone instead of a wireless Bluetooth one, it can be connected to an iPhone with a 3.5mm audio input. However, iPhone 7 and later models don’t have audio inputs. But if you still want to connect your Bose wired headphones, then you might need a Lightning to Audio jack adapter.
How to disconnect Bose headphones from your iPhone
If you are done using the Bose headphone, you can unpair them from your iPhone by switching them off. So, press the power/Bluetooth button on the right earpiece of the headphone to turn it off. However, switching it on later will automatically pair with your iPhone if it is nearby and has Bluetooth turned on.
Alternatively, if you want to disconnect the Bose headphone from your iPhone so you can use it on another device, tap Disconnect on the Bose Connect App. Or you could just turn off the Bluetooth on your iPhone.
Also, you can remove the Bose headphone from your iPhone altogether. Doing this will prevent the headphone from pairing with your iPhone automatically in the future. Here’s how to do it.
- On your iPhone, launch the Settings app.
- Next, select Bluetooth.
- After that, under the My Devices section and beside the name of your Bose headphone, tap the info or (i) icon.
- Next, tap on Forget This Device.
Why won’t my Bose headphones connect to my iPhone?
There might be a wide range of reasons why your Bose headphones won’t connect to your iPhone. This could be anything from a Bluetooth issue, an outdated software version, or the wrong device settings. Here we’ve shared the reasons why the Bose headphones won’t connect to your iPhone and some troubleshooting tips.
Keep headphones & iPhone close
The most obvious issue that would come to mind is there is something wrong with the Bluetooth signal. Maybe you were far from your iPhone when you tried connecting it with the Bose headphone. This has resulted in a weaker Bluetooth signal, which might have caused the pairing between your iPhone and headphone to fail. Even if the pairing is successful, long distances between the two devices might cause interferences in the signal. So, always stay close to your iPhone when using the Bose headphone.
Check the battery life of your Bose headphone
Another reason why your Bose headphone won’t connect with your iPhone is that it has run out of charge. So, check whether the Bose headphone has enough charge left; if there isn’t, you need to charge them. The best practice is to always ensure that your Bose headphone is fully or mostly charged before using them.
Check whether the Bose headphones are turned on
The buttons to turn on the Bose headphone are small. This has often led people to miss the buttons when switching the headphone and later wonder why it hasn’t worked. Usually, an LED indicator blinks from red to green when you turn on the Bose headphone. So, make sure that your headphone is switched on.
Restart your Bose Headphone
It is a troubleshooting tip that you should try if your headphone doesn’t connect with your iPhone and have ruled out the earlier points. Here’s how to reset Bose headphones, according to Bose.
- First, you need to switch off the Bose headphones. You can do this by pressing the power button on the right earpiece of the headphone.
- Next, you need to connect your Bose headphone to a power outlet with a USB charger and keep it that way for 5 seconds.
- After that, unplug the USB charger and remove it from the headphone and wait for at least 60 seconds.
- Finally, switch back on the Bose headphone and try pairing it again with the iPhone.
Restart the Bose Connect App
Another troubleshooting fix is to shut down and then restart the Bose Connect App. So, you can do this by swiping up from the bottom of your iPhone and pausing in the middle. This will open the multitasking view screen. Here you need to locate the Bose Connect App and then swipe it up to close it. After that, you need to wait for a few seconds and then start the Bose Connect App by tapping on its app icon from your iPhone home screen. Now you can try pairing the Bose headphone with your iPhone again.
Restart your iPhone
If none of the above fixes work, you can try shutting down and restarting your iPhone. Sometimes bugs and temporary caches might cause issues.
Therefore, to turn off your iPhone, press and hold the side button and any one of the volume buttons simultaneously until the power-off slider appears. Once that appears, move the slider and wait for 30 seconds for your iPhone to shut down. If you have an older iPhone model, you might only have to press and hold the side button in order to see the power-off slider. Now to restart your iPhone, you need to press the side button. You need to hold on to that until the Apple logo appears on your screen.
Wrapping Up
It is not that hard to pair your wireless Bose Bluetooth headphones with your iPhone. Here we’ve shared two methods on how to connect Bose headphones to iPhone and also show how to disconnect them when needed. Moreover, we’ve explained the possible reasons why your Bose headphone isn’t connecting with your iPhone and their possible fixes.
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