Do Bose headphones work with Android?

Bose is a leading manufacturer of high-end headphones and speakers. Their headphones, such as the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 and Bose QuietComfort models, are popular for their comfort, sound quality, active noise cancellation, and wireless connectivity. Android phones are also very popular with millions of users, so many want to know if they can connect Bose headphones to their Android devices. In general, recent Bose Bluetooth headphones are designed to be compatible with Android phones for streaming media and hands-free calling just like they work with iPhones.

Bose Bluetooth Headphone Models

Some of the most popular Bose Bluetooth headphone models include:

Bose QuietComfort 45: Over-ear noise cancelling headphones with 24 hours of battery life. Priced at $329 (https://www.amazon.com/bose-bluetooth-headphones/s?k=bose+bluetooth+headphones&page=2).

Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700: Premium over-ear headphones with 11 levels of noise cancellation. Priced at $379 (https://www.bose.com.au/en_au/shop_all/headphones/headphones.html).
Bose QuietControl 30: In-ear headphones with noise cancellation and awareness mode. Priced at $249.
Bose SoundSport Free: Completely wireless earbuds designed for exercise and sports. Priced at $199.

Key features found across Bose Bluetooth headphone models include noise cancellation, sweat/weather resistance, voice assistant support, long battery life, and premium sound quality.

Android Bluetooth Compatibility

Most Android devices support Bluetooth, allowing them to pair with Bluetooth headphones like those from Bose. Android supports several key Bluetooth profiles to enable headphone functionality, including:

A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile): For high-quality Bluetooth audio streaming to headphones.

AVRCP (Audio Video Remote Control Profile): Allows control of basic playback functions like play/pause/skip on headphones.
HFP (Hands-Free Profile): Enables using headphones for phone calls and voice assistants.

As per the Android Bluetooth specifications, support for Bluetooth has been builtin since the earliest Android versions like Android 1.5 Cupcake and 1.6 Donut. Starting from Android 8.0 Oreo onwards, Bluetooth LE connectivity was improved.

More recent Android versions like 10 and 11 expanded Bluetooth support with novel features like multi-stream audio over Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi/Bluetooth handover for low interruption, and advanced audio encoding like AAC. However, these new capabilities are mostly relevant for wireless earphones and speakers.

The key point is core Bluetooth profiles that Bose headphones rely on for streaming music, playback controls, and phone calls have remained compatible with just about every Android version.

Connecting Bose Headphones to Android Devices

Connecting your Bose headphones to an Android device is generally straightforward. Most Bose Bluetooth headphone models, such as the QuietComfort 35 II, enable easy connection to your Android phone or tablet.

To pair your Bose headphones to an Android device, take the following steps:

Go to your phone or tablet’s Bluetooth settings menu
Locate the Bose headphones and select it to pair with your device

Confirm the pairing request by pressing the multi-function button on your Bose headphones
If the device connects successfully, you’ll hear an audio tone indicating the pairing worked

Once paired, your Bose headphones should automatically connect to your Android device each time you use them. However, sometimes users run into issues pairing or connecting. Common problems include:

Bose headphones not appearing in available Bluetooth devices list
“Mobile Device Not Found” error
Losing Bluetooth connection during use

For troubleshooting, check out this article. Solutions range from resetting your headphones to manually clearing the connection history. Trying each step can help resolve connectivity issues.

Audio Quality and Controls

Bose headphones are known for excellent sound quality and that applies to Bluetooth audio when connected to Android devices as well. According to a recent review of the Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones, “Sound quality over both the Bluetooth connection and auxiliary input is very good. Low-end response doesn’t trounce the mids or highs; instead, it complements them.”

Many Bose headphones like the QuietComfort 45, 700, and QuietComfort Earbuds have intuitive on-ear controls to manage playback, volume, calls, and accessing voice assistants. You can press buttons or touch sensitive panels on the earcups to do things like skip tracks, adjust volume, answer calls, and activate Google Assistant or Alexa to issue voice commands hands-free.

Range and Battery Life

Most Bose Bluetooth headphones have an effective wireless range of up to 30 feet or 9 meters when paired with Android devices, allowing you to listen while freely moving around your environment.1 The Bose QuietComfort 45, for example, offers this typical Bluetooth range when connected to Android phones and tablets.

In terms of battery life, popular Bose noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones like the QuietComfort 45 offer up to 24 hours of listening time per charge. You can get even longer battery life from other models like the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, which provide up to 20 hours of wireless listening with noise cancelling on or up to 40 hours with noise cancelling off.2 So most Bose headphones provide ample battery life for all-day listening when paired and used with Android devices.

Phone Call Performance

When it comes to call quality over Bluetooth on Bose headphones when paired with Android devices, the experience can vary across different models. According to various user reports, some of the top Bose headphones for call quality with Android include the Bose QuietComfort 45 and the Bose 700.

The QuietComfort 45 uses a beamform microphone array that is optimized for picking up voice audio clearly while minimizing background noise. Reviews praise the call clarity, noting that voices sound natural without excessive processing. One downside is that wind noise can sometimes interfere when outdoors. The Bose 700 utilizes a 4-microphone system to capture voice audio accurately – users mention great noise cancellation and natural voice quality over calls.

Some other Bose headphones like the older QuietComfort 35 II still perform decently over calls, though may capture more ambient noise. More compact true wireless earbuds like the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds do not have the best reputation for call quality in noisy environments – the microphones tend to focus in closely on the user’s voice which can sound unnatural.

To improve call quality across models, make sure to have the latest firmware installed. You can also play with microphone settings in your Android device’s Bluetooth menu to reduce ambient noise if possible. Just keep in mind that for the best voice clarity over phone calls, the around-ear Bose 700 and QuietComfort 45 will likely outperform smaller earbuds.

Compatibility with Android Apps

Many Bose headphones like the QuietComfort Earbuds, 700, and 45h are designed to work seamlessly with a variety of popular Android apps for media playback and calling.

For media apps like Spotify, YouTube, and Google Play Music, the headphones connect via Bluetooth and you can play, pause, skip tracks, adjust volume directly from the headset controls. The sound quality is excellent with deep bass and clear treble.

For calling apps like WhatsApp, Skype, and Google Duo, the headphones’ microphones effectively pick up your voice and suppress background noise so you can carry out clear phone or video conversations. You can also easily accept/reject calls with the headset controls.

Overall, Bose headphones integrate seamlessly with Android apps to provide an enhanced listening and calling experience on your mobile device.

Troubleshooting Tips

If you experience issues pairing your Bose headphones to your Android device or notice problems with audio quality, there are some troubleshooting steps you can try:

For pairing issues, first try resetting your Bose headphones by holding down the Bluetooth button for 10+ seconds until you hear a tone. This will clear any previous pairings and allow you to reconnect to your Android device (source: https://www.headphonesty.com/2021/09/bose-bluetooth-headset-pairing-problems/). You can also try clearing your Android device’s Bluetooth pairing list and re-pairing the headphones.

If you notice problems with sound quality like choppy audio or no audio at all, check for firmware updates for your Bose headphones through the Bose Connect app or by connecting to your computer. Updated firmware can fix compatibility issues. You can also try forgetting the headphones on your Android device, power cycling both devices, and repairing to refresh the connection (source: https://www.soundguys.com/how-to-fix-problems-bose-quietcomfort-35-ii-36217/).

Conclusion

Bose has a range of Bluetooth headphones, from noise cancelling over ear models like the 700 and QC35 II, to true wireless earbuds like the QuietComfort Earbuds, that are compatible with Android devices. As long as your Android phone or tablet supports the A2DP Bluetooth profile for streaming audio, you’ll be able to pair and listen to music and other audio just like you would with an iPhone.

The Bluetooth connection allows you to listen wirelessly up to 30 feet away from your device. Battery life ranges from 6 hours for models like the QuietComfort Earbuds up to 20 hours for over ear models with the latest Bluetooth version. Bose headphones give you audio controls like play/pause, volume up/down, skipping tracks, and voice assistants access directly from the headphones when paired with Android.

For the best experience using Bose headphones with Android, make sure your device is running Android 5.0 or later, which supports high quality audio codecs for music playback over Bluetooth. Keep the headphone software updated to the latest firmware version for optimal connectivity and features. Pair in a location close to your Android device initially to ensure a strong Bluetooth connection. Check that audio apps and settings like EQ presets are optimized for your headphone model to get the highest sound quality while listening on your Android device.