Noise Cancelling 700 Firmware Update - Buzzing followed by Headphone Reboot

Around On Ear Headphones
1

I wanted to ensure that this issue doesn't get lost in the larger topic regarding the 1.4.12 Firmware upgrade. Since the upgrade, shortly after powering on the headphones a loud buzzing ensues, followed by the Power On tone and then the battery level announcement and the Bluetooth device connection announcement. 

 

This occurred on Day 1 after performing the FW upgrade, again yesterday and again this morning. At the time it occurs, I'm only streaming music via Bluetooth. I know for certain that both yesterday and today, the buzzing/reboot sequence occurred three times in a row within a minute of powering the headphones on. It occurs whether the Bose Music app is open or not. The headphones are only paired with this one device, my Galaxy S8.

 

Specifics:

Samsung Galaxy S8

Android 9

Bose Music App: 3.3.4

NC700 FW version: 1.4.12.6283.9f658fd

 

Bose Support folks, please look into this issue. Note that these headphones were trouble-free prior to this FW update. I have not yet attempted a device reset, will do so later today to see if it makes any difference.

 

If there is any additional information you need me to collect for troubleshooting, please let me know. I'll be more than happy to work with you and your team in this investigation.

 

Regards,

-lunchman

2

Hello Glen,

 

Thank you for your post and welcome to the Bose Community. 

 

I am sorry to hear that you are experiencing this problem during calls with your NC Headphones 700. 

 

Could you please confirm if this happens when only 1 device is connected?

 

Additionally, I would recommend ensuring that your headphones are running the latest firmware version. You can do this by visiting btu.bose.com. 

 

Please let me know if you notice a change after this.

 

Warm regards,

Charlotte G - Community Support

3

Thank you for your reply. My headphones were at the latest update level.

 

Only connecting to one device (iPhone 7) seems to have stopped the Bose 700 headphones from making a loud buzz noise and rebooting. This of course does not resolve the issue as one of the features of the headphones is the ability to connect to two devices. Again, it works perfectly fine until it reboots.

 

Looking forward to your suggestions.

 

Glen

4

Hi Glen, 

 

Thanks for getting back to us with this information. 

 

Can you please inform us on what service you tend to take your phone calls? Is this via a service such as Whatsapp, Skype or Teams for example?

 

I would also like you to check to see if with a cabled connection the buzzing still occurs? I understand that this is not an ideal set up for you, however from testing this we can determine whether or not this could be a Bluetooth interference with your headset potentially. 

 

We look forward to hearing from you. Please let us know how you get on. 

 

Kind regards, 

Tegan M 

 

 

5

Hi

 

I have been having similar issue with my bose 700 headphones, it would cut out and I would hear zzz or whizz sound of distortion.

I usually  listen  to youtube music and watch netflix movies and it cuts out regularly. I am also using a Samsung  note 10 plus. I have updated to the lates firmware and dont know what more I can do. 

 

Should I pop into a bose service store, iisthis covered by the warranty? 

 

Please help 

 

Thank you 

6

Hello N3wfr13nds,

 

Thanks for joining the discussion. 

 

This certainly isn't normal or expected behavior. If you are fully up to date with your firmware, and the issue persists on multiple devices, please reach out to local support to discuss service options. Details can be found here.

 

Kind regards, 

 

Jeff G 

7

Hi Tegan,

 

  • Can you please inform us on what service you tend to take your phone calls? Is this via a service such as Whatsapp, Skype or Teams for example? 
    The calls are normal cell/mobile phone calls.

 

  • I would also like you to check to see if with a cabled connection the buzzing still occurs? I understand that this is not an ideal set up for you, however from testing this we can determine whether or not this could be a Bluetooth interference with your headset potentially.
    Test - Cable connected to Samsung S10 . Bluetooth connect to S10 and iPhone 7
    When I first plugged the cable into the headphones both phones disconnected from bluetooth. I then had to manually pair again. What I did notice on the iPhone only was the headphones were broadcasting the default bluetooth name AND my custom name. The iPhone was connected to both names. I deleted the pairing from the default bluetooth name. I then plugged the cable into the S10 . I did not experience any buzzing or reboots. I did however have issues answering  calls when double tapping on the right earphone. So this all became too frustrating so I disconnected and went back to dual bluetooth connection to the S10 and iPhone 7. A few minutes later I received a text message on the iPhone 7 and BUZZ......then headphones reboot.
    So then I test a single connect to the S10 ....no issue....iPhone 7 single connection ....no issue

    The key thing I don't understand is why the Bose 700 reboots when I hear the buzz noise. 

    My synopsis so far is although you can technically connect to 2 devices via bluetooth, it's not stable enough to be useful 😞
    Glen
8

Thank you for your guidance  and help.

 

I took it into bose service centre in Nz. 

 

Apparently i will receive a brand new pair next week, as its Friday here. 

 

Kindest Regards

9

Maybe I should do the same.......over to you Bose?

10

Re  

 

Purchesed 20/11/2020 

 

If anyone else is having a similar experience, please can you provide the following details below in this thread.

  • Bose product model - Bose 700 headphones black
  • Bose product firmware version -  Version 1.8.2
  • Bose app version - 4.1.1
  • A detailed description of the issue and steps to reproduce - Opened box, charged headphones. Installed bose app then successfully connected headphones to my Samsung s20 Phone. Registered device to Bose account. Headphones working fine with no issues. Notification of firmware update for headphones, download and install via the app on the phone. Headphones reset after installation and now constantly buzz and reboot whenever they are turned on while my phone's Bluetooth is turned on. Headphones do not reset when my phones Bluetooth is turned off, which kinda defeats the purpose 
  • What services are you using that were affected and what version are they on? (E.g. iPad Pro on iOS 12.9) Samsung Galaxy S20 SM-G980F Android version 10
  • When did you start to experience the issue? Did it work correctly previously? The issue occurred as soon as the firmware was updated, the headphones functioned correctly prior to installation. 
  • Any troubleshooting steps you took and effects, if any. I have does the Headphones reset steps. and removed then reinstalled the app. cleared BT connection cash.

I hope this issue is rectified soon. It's disappointing for a premium product to have such a large issue.

 

11

I have the exact same issue with my computer (linux) and phone s9

 

12

Same Issue here! Very annoying! Now waiting since more than 6 months for the problem to be solved!

 

My details:

  • Samsung (SM‑A530F) running Android 9 , latest updates from Samsung
  • face issue since firmware is higher than 1.3.1 somewhere in April this year?
  • with a competitor product of half of the price I've no issues with the same phone. This is actually my solution to properly work! So the Bose 700 is at the moment completely useless for my work as I cant use it with the phone and the PC!
  • app version 4.1.1

 

Another proposal:

  • Maybe Bose just realizes that they've an issue if we all start to return the products under warranty.
  • Keep doing that warranty returning until it's solved!

 

13

Same issue here. Never had any issue, but when I tried to watch Netflix on my MacBook Air (M1) with latest firmware, it kept on crashing after a few minutes - even sometimes in a loop. 

14

I had the same issue with my old pairs. Bose replaced them and I got my new pairs yesterday. I did the update and now i am stuck again with he same issue. Not as bad as with my old pairs, but since yesterday it crushed again 5 times... Unexceptable! Sucks so bad....

15

Received a replacement, and of course as soon as I update the firmware the issues start to happen. It's been 2 years Bose. Please fix your headphones, I paid so much money for them!

16

I am having the same issues. I am using a Note 20 Ultra 5G, so there is plenty of resources to handle the BT, I suspect. The issues happen with 1 or 2 devices connected. I usually have the headphones connected to the Samsung Note 20 (Android 10, latest updates) and to my laptop fitted with the Bose USB Link. The buzz and rebooting is random. Sometimes it happens within minutes of usage, sometimes I can go for hours without issues. Being random, I have found it hard to replicate to get more assistance. However, if Bose is still working on future firmware updates to solve the issue, it would be good to know so. 

 

Should I contact my regional support to have these headphones assessed? This is my first pair of wireless Bose headphones. I never had an issue with my wired, in ear QuietComforts. As many of you have mentioned, I have other wireless brands (Sony, Samsung and Plantronics that provide a more reliable experience for a fraction of the price of the 700. Bose, please do something about this!

17

Same problem here. I had no problems with these headphones for almost a year and then I started having this issue and others. See Below.

 

 

Android App Version: 4.2.4

NC700 Firmware 1.8.2

Samsung TV: Q60

 

Historical Issues

1 - Volume control is buggy. Need to select QC700 after connecting. Then volume will control. This could be Samsung

2 - Max volume gets lower, even after performing the workaround on 1

3 - Intermittently completely unable to connect headphones. ESPECIALLY when there is some kind of update

4 - Updates break functionality

 

Workaround so far. Problems started in the summer of 2020.

1-Delete from TV, reboot

2-Delete from phone 

3-clear pairing history on device

4-update firmware from android app.

5-Pray

 

I've contacted phone support. They like to interrupt me when I'm explaining what I've tried and sound less like tech support each time I talk with them.

 

There's a LOT going on here. Interconnectivity problems can be blamed almost anything. I don't care who's to blame. I want the headphones to work again.

 

My father has hearing issues and I've spent hours and hours trying to fix the low volume issue on it's own.

 

I suspect the BLE "features" keeps talking to my phone even when it's not paired and is causing problems. I can't prove anything though.

 

What I want is:

1 - TO DOWNGRADE THE FIRMWARE! I JUST WANT STUPID BLUETOOTH HEADPHONES THAT DON'T NEED FORCED UPGRADES THAT BREAK FUNCTIONALLITY

2 - Give us the downgrade utility and access to .bin files

 

Between the Bose App, Android, BLE, and Samsung they all seem to be fighting for dominance and I'm once again supporting Bose products

18

Like many other people in the forum that have received no resolution from the heaps of posts I have already read here and on reddit, my NC 700 will not connect to my Galaxy S21 and also my previous Galaxy S10.

 

I thought maybe it would just be my S10 but it doesn't work with my new S21 setup fresh. I have tried a reset of network settings and also the clearing of all devices from the headset.

 

It works for a while if I turn my phone off and back but then it will reset after 10-20 minutes. As soon as I turn off the headphones and try again, it always goes into a reboot loop.

 

Running latest firmware 1.8.2.

 

The headphones connects and work great with my laptop and an iPhone. But I bought these to use with my phone. Regretting purchase. Please provide a solution.

19

Hello everyone, I just joined the forum to comment on the matter. I purchased mine last year in March from Amazon UK. Knowing the Bose QCII fiasco about the noise cancelling issues after updating, I decided not to update my 700's since I took them out of the box, same goes for my QC earbuds, no updates at all.

 

However, I just experienced this situation yesterday (Feb 02 2021) just after I updated my computer to the latest firmware (a Mac mini 2018 - macOS 11.2 Big Sur). Normally, I have them connected to my phone, a Pixel 5, and the computer at the same time. Before the Pixel 5, I have them connected to a Pixel 2. But yesterday morning I turned my headphones on and then a loud noise came out from both ear-cups, just after the voice prompt announcing the battery, so I decided to turn them off after they restarted automatically and perform a reset, the one where you plug it and hold the bluetooth button for like 2 secs or so, nothing happened and I could not turn them on for like 5 min, then after me pressing the ON button for a while, they decided to start again with the usual voice prompt, but this time just after announcing that it was connected to both my devices, the buzzing noise came again and restarted the headphones.

 

So I turned them off again, and waited a couple of minutes, maybe 3-4 mins, turned them on and the usual voice prompt announcing the battery and the connected devices without any issue at all. I spent around 8 to 9 hours with them on and no issue whatsoever.

 

But the again the same thing happened today, like 30 min ago, just after me using them for like 1.5 hours I took my dog for a small walk so I turned them off and came back after like 10-15 min and turned them on and just before the voice prompt announced the battery level, the same buzzing but this time just from the left ear-cup in a very low volume, audible enough to be honest. So again I did the same, turned off and on without any issues at all as I am using them right now while typing this.

 

To be honest, I have no idea what is the problem with them, as yes it is scary that this is happening and yes, I do not want to send them back under warranty and get a new pair which would potentially have more issues. So after running some test turning them on and off several times there is no issue at all, at least right now. The only thing that I noticed is that the computer did a weird noise, like a notification sound but distorted the same day after I updated the computer and stopped the every bluetooth device from working (keyboard, trackpad and headphones) for like 5-6 min. After that I carried on until yesterday when the buzzing started.

 

I know that this is an ongoing situation, but hopefully someone has a clue of what is happening as I am running the factory firmware without updating or opening the app while connected to the headphones, other than naming my device and set some configurations like 'voice level when calling' but I did this with my phone on airplane mode and just the bluetooth on to prevent any update from downloading.

 

Here are some extra details just in case if someone is interested and find it helpful somehow. Also, I should mentioned that I have never had any problems at all since I got them and I take care a lot of care for my stuff, and I only dropped them once back in October 2020.

 

Purchased 25/03/2020 

 

  • Bose product model - Bose 700 headphones black
  • Bose product firmware version -  Version 1.2.11
  • Bose app version - Just installed for registration and config, with airplane mode and bluetooth on
  • A detailed description of the issue and steps to reproduce - Read all my post for more details
  • What services are you using that were affected and what version are they on?  - Pixel 5 latest update since October 2021 (Android 11 with January 2021 security update) and before a Pixel 2 from the day of purchase until August 2020 (Android 10 with July security Update) and a Mac mac mini 2018 (macOS 11.2 Big Sur which I believe has something to do with the issue but I do not have any proof) 
  • When did you start to experience the issue? - Feb 03 2021 ----- Did it work correctly previously? Read my post for more details
  • Any troubleshooting steps you took and effects, if any. ----- Just the reset steps yesterday, but read my post for more details.
20

Thanks to everyone here for posting. We understand there have been reports of the Noise Cancelling Headphones buzzing followed by rebooting or restarting. We hear you and we want to help because we are committed to delivering world class products. Our software team performed tests on the NC700 and to date we have had difficulties reproducing the reported symptom consistently. This is why we need your assistance! If you are willing to provide additional information to support our investigations of these reports, please follow this link to fill out a brief survey to collect information about your use case. We understand that you may have already provided some of this information in previous community posts, however completing this survey will help better inform our testing.  

 

We’ll continue to update this thread when we have additional information to share. Thank you for your continued support and patience.