How to connect Bose headphones to iPhone

Bose is one of the world’s leading audio brands and makes some of the best headphones on the planet, including its tried and tested QuietComfort line, which sound great and feature the company’s pioneering noise-canceling technology, among other things.

If you’ve recently purchased a pair of Bose headphones or earbuds (we recently reviewed their newest addition, the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds), or are just getting started with them, chances are you’re here looking for a step-by-step guide on how to connect them to your iPhone. That’s why we’ve put together this helpful guide to teach you a few different ways to pair your Bose headphones, whether you’re using wireless or wired Bose boxes or headphones. Let’s start.

Using iPhone Bluetooth settings

If you don’t want to download any additional tools to connect your Bose headphones to your iPhone (we’ll cover this method in a bit), you can easily pair your Bose device with your iPhone or other iOS device using the built-in iOS Bluetooth settings.

Before you begin, you will need to put your Bose headphones into pairing mode. Here’s how to do it for each type of Bose headphone: * Over the ear model: You’ll need to either slide the switch on the right earbud from red to green, or press and hold the power button until you hear the “ready to pair” announcement. * Bose headphones: Buds should automatically enter pairing mode when you first open the charging case. If you need to access pairing mode manually, the process will vary depending on the model of headphones you own (more on that below). * Bose QuietComfort and Sports products: Press and hold the button on the front of the charging case until the front Bluetooth indicator starts flashing. For Sports Open and Soundsport models, press and hold the button on the right earbud until A) you hear “ready to connect” or B) the right earbud light turns blue.

Once you’re in pairing mode, you’re ready to go:

Step 1: Run it settings app on your iPhone and select Bluetooth from the options list.

Step 2: Your Bose product should be listed below Other devices. Tap the model you want to link and it will then be added to yours My devices panel.

Step 3: If you see the word Related next to the name of your Bose device, the pairing process was successful.

Using the Bose Music app

The Bose Music app is the company’s latest app for iOS and Android that lets you connect, control, and customize Bose headphones, earbuds, and speakers. It’s also one of the best ways to pair your Bose headset with your iPhone, and even lets you download firmware updates to ensure your Bose product is bug-free.

Note that Bose currently offers two different apps: Bose Music and Bose Connect. If you’re using an older Bose audio product, you may need to download the Bose Connect app (described below) instead. Currently, the Bose Music app supports the following Bose headphones:

• Noise canceling headphones 700 and 700 UC
• QuietComfort 45 headphones
• QuietComfort headphones
• QuietComfort II headphones
• QuietComfort Ultra headphones
• QuietComfort Ultra headphones
• Sports headphones
• Sports open headphones

Here’s how to use the Bose Music app to pair your Bose device with your iPhone.

Step 1: Turn on your Bose headphones (or headphones) and make sure it’s in pairing mode.

Step 2: Launch the Bose Music app and select Set up a new product at the bottom of the first screen.

Step 3: choose Headphones and frames.

Step 4: The app will then search for your Bose headphones. After it locates the device, select it and it will start pairing. After going through the rest of the setup wizard, play some music to make sure the pairing is successful.

Using the Bose Connect app

The Bose Connect app is an intuitive (albeit slightly older) companion app for your Bose Bluetooth headphones or earbuds that lets you control and customize many different aspects of your Bose device. It’s also a simple and convenient way to connect your Bose product to your iPhone. Currently, the Bose Connect app supports the following Bose headphones:

• QuietComfort 35
• QuietComfort 35 II
• QuietComfort 35 II Gaming headphones
• Silent control 30
• SoundLink around the ear II
• SoundSport free
• SoundSport Pulse
• SoundSport

Here’s how to use the Bose Connect app to pair Bose headphones with your iPhone.

Step 1: Turn on the Bose headset and make sure it’s in pairing mode.

Step 2: Make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your iPhone.

Step 3: Download and launch the Bose Connect app.

Step 4: The Bose Connect app will automatically scan your environment for compatible Bose hardware. Once the app detects your headphones, you should see an icon with three arrows pointing down (called Swipe to connect) appear below the headset image.

Step 5: Drag the down arrows to start pairing.

Step 6: When the pairing is complete, you will see a Ready to play will appear at the bottom of the screen. Once you select this option, your Bose product and iPhone will be paired. Play music or a podcast to test your sound.

Make your own headphone jack

If you plan to connect your Bose wired headphones to an iPhone, be careful about which iOS device you’ll be using. It might be old news by now, but Apple hasn’t had a 3.5mm headphone jack since the iPhone 7, when it ditched it in favor of a Lightning connection. If you have an iPhone from then on, you’ll be able to get one of these handy Adapters from lightning to 3.5 mm for any wired pair of headphones or earbuds to connect to a Lightning-only iPhone.

But wait, here’s a new twist. Since this year’s latest and greatest iPhone 15, Apple has finally usurped the Lightning connector for the much more universal USB-C connector. Fortunately, there is ia USB-C-to-3.5 mm adapter for that too.

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