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Bose Update (Won’t Work/Won’t Launch/Not Detecting/How To)

Updates keep our Bose devices running the latest technology and keep them going for years. But things become tricky when the update itself malfunctions. Below are several issue people have faced with the Bose update service and how they could be resolved.

Bose devices will not update if you have less than 20% battery remaining on the device, there is a disrupted connection between the updater device and the Bose device or there is a bug in the firmware. Your Bose device can be updated with a cable and computer, or wirelessly through the app.

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More detail regarding these issues can be found below, as well as different ways you could fix them. I have also detailed how you can update your Bose device, including their speakers and SoundTouch adapter.

Bose Won’t Update

White home speakers

There are several reasons why your Bose will not update.

The most basic requirement for a system update is sufficient charge. There must be at least 20% battery for the update to be installed, otherwise the update will not install. If you have the option, it is best to have the speaker plugged into continuous wall power during installation.

If you are struggling to update your system with one of the methods detailed below, try using the other. Sometimes the wireless method, using the Bose Connect app, will have connectivity issues between the app and speaker. In this case, using the manual updater will be more reliable.

Some people have found they were unable to update their speaker until they had cleared the Bluetooth pairing list for the speaker and device. Sometimes the speaker will receive mixed signals and therefore the connection needs to be re-established.

How to Update Bose Speaker

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You can update your Bose speaker in one of two ways; either update it manually through a computer or use the Bose Connect app.

Updating Your Bose Speaker Manually

To update manually, follow the steps below.

Step 1: Go to the Bose update webpage.

Step 2: Click on ‘Download’ to download the Bose Updater. If you already have this software installed on your computer, you can click ‘Launch’ instead.

Step 3: Run the Bose Updater .exe file to install the software on your computer.

Step 4: If the webpage doesn’t change, select ‘Supported Products in the top right of the page.

Step 5: Find your speaker in the list.

Step 6: Follow the on-screen prompts. This will involve either inserting a USB drive into the speaker, or connecting the speaker to the computer with a Micro-USB cable.

Updating Your Bose Speaker with the Bose Connect App

The Bose Connect App is free and can wirelessly update your speaker. When a new update is available, it will automatically be detected by the app. The option to download the update will then become available.

Step 1: Make sure you speaker is turned on.

Step 2: Select the ‘Download’ icon in the app.

Step 3: Allow the download to complete, which can take up to 45 minutes. You can still use your speaker in this time.

Step 4: When the download is finished, click ‘Update’ in the app. This process will only take a few minutes and you should not turn your speaker off until the update is complete.

Bose App Won’t Update

Male scratching head in confusion

There are several Bose apps available for download through the app store. Some people have had issues updating the SoundTouch App, which allows you to control your Bose SoundTouch speaker with your phone.

This was discovered to be a bug with earlier versions of Mac computers. This has been resolved with a new copy of the app.

If the installer is not able to be opened, you may need to adjust the permissions on your Mac. To do this, follow the pathway below.

Apple Menu > System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General > Open Anyway

Here you will just need to make sure that ‘Allow Apps from App Store and Identified Developers’ has been selected.

If you are having issues downloading any of the Bose apps, it may be that you do not have enough space on your device.

Bose Updater Not Working

Female head with floating question marks

The manual method of updating your Bose device, through the Bose Updater, can also malfunction.

You should also make sure you are using the most up to date version of the Bose updater software, or the Bose Connect app. Sometimes there are bugs in the firmware that require another update to fix.

Some previous examples of this have been issues with Mac computers and also not being able to use the software in a particular web browser.

Sometimes the updater might not detect that your Bose device is connected to the computer. First, you should try a different cable or a different USB port in the compute to make sure it is not related to the physical connection.

If this is not the issue, you could try resetting your device to its factory settings. This can be done in the following steps.

Step 1: Turn on your Bose device.

Step 2: Press and hold the on/off button for 10 seconds until the device turns off.

How to Update Bose Speaker Firmware

Portable home speakers

The Bose speaker firmware is updated when you update manually or via the Bose Connect app. These updates are simple if you follow the steps outlined above.

How to Update Bose Soundtouch Wireless Adapter

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Updating the Bose SoundTouch Wireless Adapter is similar to updating any of the Bose speakers. You can use an app or manually install updates using a computer.

Manually Update the Bose SoundTouch

You can manually update your SoundTouch using the steps below.

Step 1: Download the latest SoundTouch update from the Bose website. You can save this file to your desktop, or it may automatically download to your ‘Downloads’ folder.

Step 2: The file will be labelled ‘Update.stu’. Do not rename this file or it will not be recognized by the updater.

Step 3: Copy the software update file onto a USB drive.

Step 4: Insert the USB drive into the connector on your system

Step 5: Unplug the power cord from your system

Step 6: On the system’s button pad, press and hold the “4” and the volume-down buttons while plugging the power cord back into your system. (some models require you to additionally hold the Aux button)

Step 7: Release the buttons. The system updates and reboots. This takes less than five minutes.

Update Your Bose SoundTouch Using the App

The SoundTouch app can be found in the app store for free. This will allow you to update the SoundTouch adapter wirelessly. Usually, a new update will be automatically detected and the app will prompt you to install it the next time you open it.

If you want to check to see if any new updates are available, follow the pathway below.

Menu > Settings > Speaker Settings > Update

If the update option is grey and you cannot select it, your system is up to date.

Bose Speaker Update Not Detecting

Confused man looking at laptop

There are two main reasons that your device will not detect an update.

· There are no new updates available.

Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on May 12, 2021.

· Your device does not have access to the internet.

As I mentioned earlier, if your update button is grey and you cannot select it, this usually means that there are no new updates available. If you have heard that a new update has been release, it may be that the update has not been released in your region yet. Updates can take up to two weeks to be released in all countries.

If your device does not have internet access, the updater app or software cannot automatically search for updates. In this case, you will need to connect to a network and relaunch the app or software.

If you suspect there is something wrong with the software or app, ensure you have the latest version or try uninstalling it and then re-installing it on your device.

Bose Updater Won’t Launch

Frustrated man with hands on forehead

As I mentioned earlier, there have been some bugs in some of the Bose systems that have caused the updater to fail. This has been recorded in Mac computers and was rectified with a later version of the updater.

Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on May 12, 2021.

You can find other troubleshooting methods for the Bose updater above.

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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on May 12, 2021.

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