I recently bought a Bose portable home speaker which refused to turn on after a couple of days.
At first, I thought it had been discharged. So I charged it fully and tried to turn it on. Even tried turning it on with the charging cable plugged in. No response.
Since it was a new speaker, I contacted Bose support to see if I can get it replaced. They were happy to replace it, but before that, they wanted me to try resetting it.
All I had to do was press and hold a button. And surprisingly, that did the trick.
My Bose speaker started working flawlessly after this easy reset.
To reset your Bose Portable Home Speaker, press and hold the Play/Pause button till the light ring pulses white on top and bottom of the speaker. This will correct all minor processor errors with your Bose speaker.
Reset Your Bose Portable Home Speaker
Resetting a Bose portable smart speaker corrects any processor errors without affecting any product settings.
A soft reset can help you overcome issues like the speaker not turning on, trouble connecting to Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, or audio issues like static or distortions.
To reset your Bose portable home speaker:
- Press the Play/Pause button on your Bose speaker.
- Keep it pressed till the light ring at the top and bottom pulses white.
After the reset, the Bose speaker will reboot itself and reconnect with the available Wi-Fi network.
Once done, you can use your Bose speaker again as before.
Use Recovery Mode on Your Bose Portable Home Speaker
If your Bose portable smart speaker has become unresponsive during or after a software update, you can use the recovery mode to fix it.
Note: Your Bose speaker should be connected to a Wi-Fi network for the recovery mode to complete.
To enter recovery mode on your Bose portable home speaker:
- Press the Play/Pause button on your Bose speaker for 10 seconds.
- When the light ring pulses white, press the Action button.
- Tap the Microphone Off button.
- Press the Action button again.
- Tap the Microphone Off button again.
- Repeat the process till the light ring blinks green.
Your speaker will enter recovery mode when the light ring blinks green.
Once in recovery mode, the speaker will try to download and install the latest update. This may take several minutes to finish depending on the size of the update and your internet speed. The light ring will scroll white during this process.
Once the light ring turns off, you can turn on your speaker.
Note: You will need to add the speaker again to your Bose account via the Bose Music app after recovery.
In case the light ring turns red during the process, it means your Bose smart speaker needs service.
Factory Reset Your Bose Portable Smart Speaker
If your Bose speaker fails to respond even after going through recovery mode, you can try resetting it back to its original factory settings.
Note: A factory reset will erase all the settings from the product. This should be the last step after you have tried a soft reset and the recovery mode.
During the factory reset, you will need to remove the portable home speaker from your Bose account at different stages.
To remove the Bose smart speaker from your Bose account:
- Open the Bose Music app on your phone.
- Click on My Account.
- Select Manage Products.
- Tap on Edit.
- Select your Bose speaker.
- Click on Delete.
This will delete the speaker from your Bose account. You can then proceed to factory reset the speaker.
Based on whether you have set up a voice assistant like Alexa or Google Assistant with your Bose smart speaker, follow the relevant steps for a factory reset.
Factory reset your Bose speaker if no voice assistant is added
- Remove the speaker from your Bose account.
- Connect the speaker to power.
- Wait till the light ring stops pulsing.
- Press the Bluetooth and Volume + buttons together.
- Keep the buttons pressed till the light ring turns white.
The light ring will blink twice as the speaker starts rebooting. Once done, the light ring will glow Amber.
You can then set up and activate your speaker again using the Bose Music app.
Factory reset your Bose speaker while connected to Alexa
- Open the Amazon Alexa app on your phone.
- Go to Devices.
- Select Echo & Alexa.
- Scroll down and click on Deregister to remove the speaker from your Alexa account.
- Open the Bose Music app on your phone.
- Go to Settings and select Voice Assistant.
- Click on Alexa and tap Remove Account.
- Remove the speaker from your Bose account.
- Connect your speaker to power.
- Wait till the light ring stops pulsing.
- Press and hold the Bluetooth and Volume + buttons together till the light ring turns white.
Your Bose portable home speaker will start rebooting when the light ring blinks twice.
Once the light ring shows amber color, your speaker is ready to be set up again.
Factory reset your Bose speaker while connected to Google Assistant
- Open the Bose Music app on your phone.
- Go to Settings and select Voice Assistant.
- Click on Google Voice Assistant.
- Tap Remove Account.
- Remove the speaker from your Bose account.
- Connect the speaker to power.
- Wait till the light ring stops pulsing.
- Press the Bluetooth and Volume + buttons together.
- Keep the buttons pressed till the light ring turns white.
The light ring will blink twice to indicate that your speaker has started rebooting.
You can start setting up the speaker again once the light ring turns Amber.
Bose Speaker Not Working? Troubleshoot the Issues Yourself
Once I got my Bose portable home speaker restarted, I was able to connect it to Alexa and enjoy music again.
While my smart speaker wasn’t turning on, you may face other issues like audio distortions, voice assistant issues, connectivity issues, or battery charging issues.
Based on the type of issue you face with your Bose speaker, you can fix them using the troubleshooting guide below.
| Issues with Bose Speaker | How to Fix It |
| Speaker unable to connect to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth | Reset the speaker, router, and other devices and try connecting them again |
| Audio from the speaker is distorted or cranky | Move the speaker away from any other electronic devices. Reset the speaker if required. |
| The speaker is not charging properly | Check the charging cable for defects. Use a different cable and adapter if required. |
| Unable to install updates | Make sure the speaker is connected to Wi-Fi properly and has enough charging. |
| Not able to connect with voice assistant | Check the microphone settings to ensure they are set up correctly. |
If you are not able to fix your Bose portable home speaker using the above fixes, you can try a factory reset of your speaker.
Remember, a factory reset will erase all the settings from your Bose speaker. So it should always be the last option.
In case the issues are not fixed even after a factory reset, you can contact Bose Support to get your speaker checked.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I connect my Bose speaker to Wi-Fi?
To connect your Bose speaker to Wi-Fi, you will need to use the Bose Music app. Open the app and follow the on-screen instructions to connect your speaker to your Wi-Fi network.
Can I connect multiple Bose speakers together?
Yes, Bose offers several speakers that can be connected together to create a multi-room audio system. You can use the Bose Music app to set up and control the speakers in your system.
How long do Bose speaker batteries last?
The battery life of a Bose speaker depends on the model and usage. Some models can provide up to 20 hours of battery life, while others may offer less. Refer to the specifications for your specific model for more information.
