Bose promised that one day it would update its QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and Ultra Open Earbuds with Bluetooth Multipoint, and that day is finally here. Starting July 10, and rolling out gradually over the coming weeks, a software update containing the Multipoint feature is being pushed via the Bose app for all owners of these two Bose wireless earbuds models. The update also contains an improvement to voice pickup and “a few other bug fixes” for the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds.
Bluetooth Multipoint is the technology that lets a set of wireless earbuds or headphones connect to two (or more) different devices (like a smartphone and a laptop) simultaneously without having to sever the connection on the first device to switch to the second.
It has become a nearly ubiquitous feature on wireless earbuds across a variety of prices, which prompted many — myself included — to question why Bose chose to launch two flagship products without it. At the time, I was simply told the feature was “coming.”
Here’s how to check to see if the software update is available for your Bose product:
- Open the Bose app
- Connect the Ultra Open Earbuds or QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds to the app
- Go to the Settings gear > Product Update
- An update should appear there (it may have already kicked off) — you’re looking for v. 4.0.22 for the Ultra Open Earbuds, and v. 4.0.20 for the QC Ultra Earbuds
- Don’t force close the app until after the update has completed downloading (it can be backgrounded, but shouldn’t be closed altogether)
When the software update is complete, your earbuds will reboot and then reconnect to your phone. At that point, when you select the Source button (with the Bluetooth icon), you’ll see a screen with the option to turn Multi-point Connection on or off, along with a list of previously paired devices, each with its own on/off switch. You can select any two of these devices to be connected simultaneously.
You’ll also see an option at the bottom of the list to Add New, which will put your earbuds into Bluetooth pairing mode so you can connect a new device.
