How to Connect Bose Headphones to an iPhone?

Bose headphones are known for their wide range of in-ear and over-ear models, high-quality performance, comfort, and features, all of which add to our favorites. That said, different models make connecting them with an iPhone or other Apple devices quite tricky. 

This article is all you need to connect your Bose headphones to your iPhone. We have designed this step-by-step guide to help you get the most out of your Bose headphones regardless of their model. No more pulling hair and spending hours reading user manuals to get your Bose headphones functioning or troubleshooting problems. Read this guide and follow the steps to pair your iPhone with Bose headphones in no time. 

Can You Use Bose Headphones With an iPhone?

Yes, you can use your Bose headphones with your iPhone. Go to your iPhone Settings > Bluetooth > Enable Bluetooth > select your Bose device and connect. If it’s connected, it will say, “Connected to [Bose product name] headphones.” 

The steps mentioned above can vary depending on your Bose headphone model. So it’s ideal to go through your headphones user manual to see what steps to miss or add. Most Bose headphone products are wireless, so you can use either your device’s Bluetooth or Bose Connect app to pair your product with your iPhone. 

Why Won’t My Bose Headphones Connect to My iPhone?

Probably the most common problem that any of us might have encountered at least once while using Bose headphones is: why are my Bose headphones not connecting to my iPhone? The reason could be as simple as having forgotten to turn on your Bluetooth or as intricate as your headphones being fake.

Here are some basic tips: Before trying other mentioned methods in this article to troubleshoot your Bose headphones connecting problems, give thought to the following: 

• Are your headphones charged? If not, then consider charging them before trying anything else to fix the connectivity issue.
• If your headphones are fully charged and still not connecting to your iPhone, your device may not be within the range of your Bose headphones. Consider putting the iPhone and Bose headphones close enough, within 30 feet (10 meters) range, so no obstacle hinders them from connecting. 
• Sometimes other electronic devices such as wireless speakers, microwave ovens, or cordless phones are hidden obstacles in your room that cause interference, making it difficult for your Bluetooth Bose headphones to connect to your iPhone. If that’s the case, move devices that could cause interference from the area where you are trying to connect your headphones with your iPhone and try connecting again. 
• If these methods do not work, see if you put your Bluetooth headphones in pairing mode. If not, then doing it will instantly connect your Bose headphones to your iPhone. Here’s how you can enable pairing mode on your Bose headphones:

1. Press the Power button on your headphones and wait for a few minutes until the light blinks blue.
2. Now, navigate to your iPhone’s Settings section and tap on Bluetooth.
3. Tap on the slider to turn on your phone’s Bluetooth. 
4. Next, select your Bose headphones name on your iPhone Bluetooth settings page.
5. Once you select your device name, a prompt will appear. You can enter your Password or PIN code to pair your Bose headphones with your iPhone. 

However, sometimes the problem is other than occasional connectivity errors; if that’s the case with you, don’t worry! In our next section, we have highlighted other possible causes and solutions that might be why you cannot connect your Bose headphones to your iPhone. Let’s look at them one by one to find out yours.  

1. Authentic Headphones

It’s imperative to buy authentic Bose headphones. Otherwise, you might not be able to get them connected to your iPhone, or even after connecting, they may not function properly. To verify whether your Bose headphones are authentic, cross-check your headphone’s serial number by visiting the Bose website. Enter your model name and match the given serial number with yours. If it’s different, then unfortunately, you bought a fake product, and that’s why your headphones are not connecting to your iPhone.

2. Enable Bluetooth Permissions

If you have authentic Bose headphones but are still unable to connect your Bose headphones to your iPhone, it might be that you have enabled “limit other devices connections” in your phone’s security section. If so, then your phone needs to grant permission to your Bose headphones to connect with them. 

Here’s how to enable Bluetooth permissions on your iPhone:

1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone. 
2. Select Privacy.  
3. Turn on your Bluetooth. 
4. Scroll down and locate your Bose headphones name on the requested Bluetooth devices list. 
5. Move the slider beside the Allow Bluetooth Access button to connect your iPhone to your Bose headphones.  

 

3. Updated Software

Sometimes the outdated software of your Bose headphones or iPhone can cause connectivity issues. So it’s vital to ensure that both your devices are updated to their latest versions. To update your Bose headphones software, follow these steps:

1. Attach your headphone to your PC with a USB cable.
2. Once connected, visit the Bose website to see if any latest software updates are available for your headphones model. If so, hit the download button to update your Bose headphones software. 

After updating your Bose headphone software, if the problem persists, see if your iPhone’s software needs updating. Here are the steps to update your iPhone software:

1. Open your iPhone’s Settings app and select General.
2. Scroll down to Software Update. If any update is available, tap Download to install.  

 

4. Restart the App

Restarting the Bose Connect app is another solution to fix the connectivity errors your Bose headphones might face while connecting to your iPhone.To restart your app follow the steps below: 

1. Double-press the Home button to get your iPhone’s list of running apps.
2. Swipe left or right on your phone’s screen to find the Bose app.
3. Select the Bose Connect app and swipe it up to close it.
4. Reopen your Bose Connect app and try to connect your Bose headphones to your iPhone again.   

 

5. Location Access 

Another potential cause for your Bose headphones not connecting to your iPhone could be your Bose Connect app not having location access to your iPhone. some apps require location access in order to function properly. If your Bose app also requires access to your location to establish a stable connection between your iPhone and headphones, then enabling access will resolve the issue.  

Here are steps on how to grant location access to your Bose Connect app:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Select Privacy. 
3. Tap on Location Services and turn it on. 
4. Now go to your Bose Connect app and tap the While Using the App button to allow access to your iPhone’s location.  

 

6. Clear Cache

If granting location access does not fix the problem, try clearing your iPhone’s Bluetooth cache. The Bluetooth cache file has saved data containing information like the device names that your phone has previously connected to, so next time you can connect to those devices instantly. 

Check to see if your device’s Bluetooth cache is outdated. If it is, clearing it can solve your connectivity issue. To do so, follow these steps. 

1. Open the Settings app and tap General.
2. Tap iPhone Storage. 
3. Locate the Bose app and tap on it.
4. Hit the Offload switch to clear all the app cache from your iPhone. 

 

7. Clear Your Pairing List

Despite clearing the Bose app cache, if your headphones are still not connecting to your iPhone, then another solution is to clear your pairing list from your headphones. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Power up your Bose headphones.
2. Press and hold the Bluetooth icon on your headphones for 10 seconds until you hear a voice prompt “Bluetooth device list cleared.”  

Remember that the method to clear the Bose headphones pairing list may vary from model to model. So read your model manual guide and follow the mentioned steps to clear your headphones pairing list.

8. Contact Bose Customer Support

After trying all the methods mentioned above, if you’re still unable to pair your Bose headphones to your iPhone, seek help from Bose customer support. You can visit the Bose customer service page or send an email explaining your problem.

Check out our recent article on ‘Top 10 Loudest Headphones‘.

How to Connect Bose Wireless Headphones to iPhone?

Since most of the Bose headphones are wireless and can be connected through Bluetooth, you can pair them with your iPhone in two ways. 

1. Connecting Bose Headphones Using Bose Connect App

Let’s pair your Bose headphones to your iPhone via Bose Connect App with these easy steps:

1. Press the Power button on your Bose headphones to turn them on. 
2. Next, turn on the pairing mode by pressing the Bluetooth icon on your headphones until it a light glows or you hear a prompt. Now, you are in pairing mode.
3. Go to your iPhone’s App Store and install the Bose Connect app. 
4. After downloading the app, log in to your Bose Connect account. 
5. Once logged in, your headphone’s name will appear on the screen in available devices. Select your Bose headphones and swipe from the top of the screen to the bottom to connect your Bose headphones to your iPhone. 
6. A text saying Connecting will appear on the screen. 
7. Now at the bottom of your screen, you will see a Ready to Play button. Tap on this option. 

You can now control your Bose headphones using your iPhone. 

2. Connect Your Bose Headphones with Your iPhone Through Bluetooth

1. Firstly, ensure your Bose wireless headphones are turned on and in pairing mode. Read the steps above to put your Bose headphones in pairing mode with your iPhone.
2. Go to your iPhone’s Settings app.
3. Locate the Bluetooth option in the list and tap on it.
4. Turn on the Bluetooth by moving the slider beside the Bluetooth option towards your right.
5. Enabling Bluetooth will show the list of available devices. Select your Bose headphones from the list. Tapping on your headphone’s name will initiate the connection. 
6. Once connected, your phone will receive a confirmation message, and your Bose headphones name will now appear under the Paired Devices section.  

Can’t find your Bose headphones in the list of other devices? If yes, read the next heading of this article to know why it is so and how to fix this issue. 

3. Reset Bose Headphones

If your Bose headphones name is not listed among other devices available on your iPhone, then it’s either a Bluetooth connection error or disabled pairing mode that is causing the problem. Whatever the reason, you can always have a reset option to remove all the data from your headphones and pair them all over again with your iPhone to resolve the issue. Here are the steps to reset your Bose headphones.

1. Power off your Bose headphones and wait for at least three minutes.
2. Use your headphone’s USB cable to connect them to your PC.
3. Then disconnect your headphones from your PC and wait one minute.
4. After waiting for one minute, turn on your Bose headphones. Now they are in reset mode, and any Bluetooth connectivity issues have been resolved. 

Note: Resetting your Bose headphones will clear all the previously saved data from them, and you have to set all your settings or preferences again. Additionally, if resetting the headphones does not fix the issue, then your iPhone might be causing problems. 

4. How to Unpair Bose Headphones From an iPhone?

Now that you know how to pair your Bose headphones with your iPhone, unpairing them will be a breeze. There are different methods that you can use to unpair your Bose headphones. The first and the easiest of these is to press the Power button on your headphone until the LED blinks red or turn off the Bluetooth on your iPhone to disconnect it from your Bose headphones. Let’s look at the other two methods in detail.  

Method 1: 

Here are the steps on how to unpair your Bose headphones using your iPhone:

1. Go to your iPhones Settings app and locate Bluetooth.
2. Under the Bluetooth section, find your Bose headphone name and tap the (i) icon next to it. 
3. Tapping the (i) icon will show a prompt with Forget this Device option. Tap on it.
4. Finally, hit Forget Device to unpair your Bose headphones from your iPhone. 

Now your Bose headphones are successfully disconnected from your iPhone. 

Method 2: 

Follow the steps below to unpair your Bose headphones from your iPhone using Bose Connect app. 

1.  Now open the Bose Connect app on your iPhone a prompt with different options appears on your screen. 
2. Select Disconnect from the menu. 

After tapping Disconnect, your Bose headphones will be unpaired from your iPhone. 

Check our article on Is JBL Better than Bose?

Conclusion

This step-by-step guide is designed to tell how you can connect your Bose headphones to your iPhone effortlessly. To do so, turn on your iPhone’s Bluetooth and pair your Bose headphones with your iPhone by selecting your Bose product name from the list of available devices. 

If you have difficulty connecting your iPhone to your headphones, go back to our causes and solutions section to set up a connection between your Bose headphones and iPhone. 

Lastly, we have covered everything in this article, from pairing to unpairing your Bose headphones from your iPhone to make it easier for you to get them connected from one iPhone to another Apple device instantly. 

Don’t forget to share this post with your friends and family who own a pair of Bose headphones because this guide is all that you’ll ever need to connect your headphones to your iPhone.