- Bose QC Ultra (2nd Gen) users say a new firmware update nixes key features
- No Bluetooth carousel; voice prompts replaced by tones; reduced button utility
- A Bose subreddit claims Bose is 'listening closely to customer feedback'
- …and there's even a poll to add your name to the complaints list
Update, March 16, 2026: TechRadar has received a response to our request for comment from Bose, which reads as follows:
"The recent software update was designed to streamline and modernise the user experience, reducing interruptions and helping people get to their music faster. We recognise that changes to how a product works can take some getting used to, and we believe the updated experiences will prove beneficial over time. While there are no plans to restore the previous functionality, we are listening closely to customer feedback."
The rest of this story remains as written and published, on March 13, 2026.
In a move reminiscent of Sonos' fateful 2024 app update (that is only now close to being fully resolved) Bose has seemingly rolled out a February firmware update for its Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) that drops several features users love — and they're not happy.
Users across the Bose subreddit community have reported several changes when being pushed into the v8.2.20 update, including:
- Removal of the shortcut for cycling Bluetooth devices (inability to scroll through your paired devices using the physical buttons)
- Battery level shortcut and power-on battery announcements gone (voice prompts replaced by 'vague beeps')
- The Bose app is now the only way to get functions which worked directly on the headphone, prior to updating
One Redditor begins their post: "I am extremely angry!" adding, "Have you noticed that your Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 feels 'dumber' after the recent firmware update? You are not alone."
Another comment reads: "What's wrong with Bose!"
The number of comments in the various threads suggests that firstly, it's no isolated issue and secondly that it's not an easy update to avoid, with one user writing: "I was able to postpone my update for only a week! I made a fatal mistake of opening the Bose app and not closing it immediately."
Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 firmware update removes key features, and customers aren't happy from r/bose
Bose QC Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): what to do if you're affected
As a caveat, I own the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) and on the latest v4.9.30 update I'm experiencing none of the issues mentioned, so it seems very much like this is a 2nd Gen Ultra Headphones issue, not an earbuds issue — for now, at least.
But Redditors have assembled (as they very often do), and one particularly organized user claims they have been in plenty of contact with Bose, posting: "A firmware rollback unfortunately is not possible, according to Bose support.
"Instead, the goal is to push for a future firmware update that restores these features, allows them to be enabled or disabled as optional settings and ideally provides the option to disable automatic updates".
So what can you do if you're experiencing similar issues after updating to v8.2.20? Redditor xShadowPro has created a way for you to voice your woes, with a simple poll they plan to forward to Bose to prove the level of customer dissatisfaction, adding that Bose has encouraged customers to continue to raise a support case if they have not already done so.
Worried it won't do any good? Another Reddit user says they reached out to Bose for comment, and were told that "While there are no plans to restore the previous functionality, we are listening closely to customer feedback."
TechRadar has also reached out to Bose for comment.
It's a shame, since I truly believe the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) worthy of their five-star TechRadar review. But when a loyal fanbase loses trust in the brand they've supported with their hard-earned cash, en masse, that wound cuts deep and tends to heal only very, very slowly…
