Bose SoundTouch Home Theater Systems Regress Into Dumb Speakers (arstechnica.com)
(Friday October 10, 2025 @11:30PM (BeauHD)
from the end-of-life dept.)
- Reference: 0179749158
- News link: https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/25/10/11/005219/bose-soundtouch-home-theater-systems-regress-into-dumb-speakers
- Source link: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/10/bose-soundtouch-home-theater-systems-regress-into-dumb-speakers-feb-18/
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica:
> Bose will brick key features of its SoundTouch Wi-Fi speakers and soundbars soon. On Thursday, Bose [1]informed customers that as of February 18, 2026, it will [2]stop supporting the devices , and the devices' cloud-based features, including the companion app, will stop working. The SoundTouch app enabled numerous capabilities, including integrating music services, like Spotify and TuneIn, and the ability to program multiple speakers in different rooms to play the same audio simultaneously.
>
> Bose has also said that some saved presets won't work and that users won't be able to change saved presets once the app is gone. Additionally, Bose will stop providing security updates for SoundTouch devices. The Framingham, Massachusetts-headquartered company noted to customers that the speakers will continue being able to play audio from a device connected via AUX or HDMI. Wireless playback will still work over Bluetooth; however, Bluetooth is known to introduce more latency than Wi-Fi connections. Affected customers can trade in their SoundTouch product for a credit worth [3]up to $200 .
>
> In its notice sent to customers this week, Bose provided minimal explanation for end-of-life-ing its pricey SoundTouch speakers, saying: "Bose SoundTouch systems were introduced into the market in 2013. Technology has evolved since then, and we're no longer able to sustain the development and support of the cloud infrastructure that powers this older generation of products. We remain committed to creating new listening experiences for our customers built on modern technologies."
[1] https://www.bose.com/soundtouch-end-of-life?cjdata=MXxOfDB8WXww&utm_source=Commission+Junction&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=5370367&Publisher=Skimlinks&cjevent=99056c7ea63511f081ff006a0a1eba22
[2] https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/10/bose-soundtouch-home-theater-systems-regress-into-dumb-speakers-feb-18/
[3] https://support.bose.com/s/product-offer?stepName=serialnumber&language=en_US
> Bose will brick key features of its SoundTouch Wi-Fi speakers and soundbars soon. On Thursday, Bose [1]informed customers that as of February 18, 2026, it will [2]stop supporting the devices , and the devices' cloud-based features, including the companion app, will stop working. The SoundTouch app enabled numerous capabilities, including integrating music services, like Spotify and TuneIn, and the ability to program multiple speakers in different rooms to play the same audio simultaneously.
>
> Bose has also said that some saved presets won't work and that users won't be able to change saved presets once the app is gone. Additionally, Bose will stop providing security updates for SoundTouch devices. The Framingham, Massachusetts-headquartered company noted to customers that the speakers will continue being able to play audio from a device connected via AUX or HDMI. Wireless playback will still work over Bluetooth; however, Bluetooth is known to introduce more latency than Wi-Fi connections. Affected customers can trade in their SoundTouch product for a credit worth [3]up to $200 .
>
> In its notice sent to customers this week, Bose provided minimal explanation for end-of-life-ing its pricey SoundTouch speakers, saying: "Bose SoundTouch systems were introduced into the market in 2013. Technology has evolved since then, and we're no longer able to sustain the development and support of the cloud infrastructure that powers this older generation of products. We remain committed to creating new listening experiences for our customers built on modern technologies."
[1] https://www.bose.com/soundtouch-end-of-life?cjdata=MXxOfDB8WXww&utm_source=Commission+Junction&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=5370367&Publisher=Skimlinks&cjevent=99056c7ea63511f081ff006a0a1eba22
[2] https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/10/bose-soundtouch-home-theater-systems-regress-into-dumb-speakers-feb-18/
[3] https://support.bose.com/s/product-offer?stepName=serialnumber&language=en_US
At least they aren't literally bricking it. (Score:2)
by SeaFox ( 739806 )
Seems like many other smart devices become complete e-waste when their corporate masters lose interest in the venture. You can still use these as actual speakers, even with Bluetooth.
Latency? (Score:2)
by skogs ( 628589 )
Bluetooth latency from your phone to the speaker .... of all the things to scaremonger about.
Pretty positive that the speaker will react properly in less than 1/3 of a second most of the time.
As much as I hate to see companies brick smart features people paid good money for, lets face it none of these functions were necessary. The only possible legitimate feature is linking multiple speakers together properly. This can be done with more professional methods than some shitty app.
Cloud hw wo subscription is accelerated e-waste (Score:2)
Even with a subscription, like Nest, products will be bricked without being upfront about when. This is the fraud.
There is no reason a device cannot last much longer but manifold manufacturer motivations exist to sell expensive, enshittified products that insist upon "routine", perpetual consumption.