Have your Bose headphones stopped working? Here's what you should do

(Image credit: Bose)

The Bose QuietComfort 35 II are among the best noise-canceling headphones on the planet, but a recent firmware update has reportedly left customers with headphones they just don't work as well as they used to.

Following the firmware update in June, proud owners of the QC 35 II headphones have been complaining of "noise cancelation degradation" in the Bose forums, according to What Hi-Fi?.

Bose has now offered customers who are experiencing these problems the option to complete an online survey – if the company believes your problem to be suitable, it'll give you a call, or arrange for a Bose engineer to pay you a visit at home.

Home visits do come with a small caveat however; you'll need to live in Massachusetts, USA, or in a bordering state for Bose to come to your home.

(Image credit: TechRadar)

Should I buy the Bose QC 35 II?

On June 26, Bose said that it left the noise cancelation feature unchanged in the recent firmware update; however, a message from the Bose community team told QC35 II owners on September 2 that, "we have a dedicated team working on your complaints every day, all day... we’ve also contacted some of you to ask if we could come to your home, and test your QC35 II, with your phone, in your surroundings."

While some customers were initially able to uninstall the firmware update, Bose has since blocked the ability to do this, saying that the update was designed “address identified security concerns, according to The Verge.

Reports of issues with the Bose QuietComfort 35 II headphones comes after the brand launched its class-leading Bose Noise-Cancelling Headphones 700, which were made with a focus on sleek design and “breakthrough” audio tech that applies noise cancelation to calls as well as music.

Now that there's a newer model on the block, we're expecting to see the QC 35 IIs – and other older Bose headphones – to be discounted over Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

If you're thinking of buying a pair of noise-canceling headphones this November, it's worth considering the issues some Bose customers have had with this particular model – which are otherwise a fantastic pair of over-ear headphones.

Olivia Tambini

Olivia was previously TechRadar's Senior Editor - Home Entertainment, covering everything from headphones to TVs. Based in London, she's a popular music graduate who worked in the music industry before finding her calling in journalism. She's previously been interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live on the subject of multi-room audio, chaired panel discussions on diversity in music festival lineups, and her bylines include T3, Stereoboard, What to Watch, Top Ten Reviews, Creative Bloq, and Croco Magazine. Olivia now has a career in PR.

Latest in Headphones
FiiO FX17 IEMs
Our favorite budget audiophile brand unveils wired earbuds with 26(!) drivers, electrostatic units, USB-C ultra-Hi-Res Audio, and a not-so-budget price
AirPods Max with USB-C in every color
Apple's AirPods Max with USB-C will get lossless audio in April, but you'll need to go wired
Sony WF-C710N in blue glass on beige background
Sony WF-C710 earbuds land, and I think they'll be the 2025 budget buds to beat
Visual Intelligence identifying a dog
AirPods with cameras for Visual Intelligence could be one of the best personal safety features Apple has ever planned – here's why
The Apple AirPods Pro 2 on a purple background with text saying price cut.
The Apple AirPods Pro 2 are the earbuds I love and they're down to their lowest price this year
Bose QuietComfort Headphones and QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds on a blue background next to TechRadar deals don't miss badge
I've loved these Bose headphones for years and they're now $100 off at Amazon
Latest in News
Open AI
OpenAI unveiled image generation for 4o – here's everything you need to know about the ChatGPT upgrade
Apple WWDC 2025 announced
Apple just announced WWDC 2025 starts on June 9, and we'll all be watching the opening event
Hornet swings their weapon in mid air
Hollow Knight: Silksong gets new Steam metadata changes, convincing everyone and their mother that the game is finally releasing this year
OpenAI logo
OpenAI just launched a free ChatGPT bible that will help you master the AI chatbot and Sora
NetSuite EVP Evan Goldberg at SuiteConnect London 2025
"It's our job to deliver constant innovation” - NetSuite head on why it wants to be the operating system for your whole business
Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 1 launches in early April, adding new monsters and some of the best-looking armor sets I need to add to my collection