Bose Headphones Not Charging – How To Fix It?

When it comes to headphones and other sound equipment, Bose is one of the most recognizable brand names in the business. Unfortunately, despite their high quality, it’s not uncommon for you to experience problems with Bose headphones not charging.

Suppose your Bose headphones are not charging. Firstly, check that the batteries aren’t already fully charged and that the firmware is updated. Then, make sure that you’re charging them at room temperature, away from extreme heat or cold. Your headphones will only charge if they’re off and only when using the correct USB cable and charger. Lastly, reboot your headphones to see if they will work correctly.

The following sections will help you understand the possible reasons why your headphones won’t charge and what you can do to resolve them.

Battery Already Fully Charged

If your Bose headphones are not charging, the first thing to consider is that the headphones are already fully charged. If that’s the case, your headphones will not charge even when you plug them into their power source. 

Typically, your Bose headphones will notify you verbally that the battery is fully charged. However, a common issue with Bose headphones is that the verbal notification does not play even when the battery is fully charged.

To confirm that this is the case, check your headphone battery’s remaining life. You can do this by pressing and holding the multipurpose button or touch surface on the side. After a while, the headphones will verbally tell you how many per cent of battery life is remaining.

You can also check the source device connected to your headphones. For example, your smartphone, computer, or TV will have a battery life meter to know how much charge is left.

How to fix it: Assuming your battery is fully charged but didn’t play the verbal notification, check that you’ve updated the firmware to the latest version. Firmware is the software inside the headphones that controls its actions.

To do that, go to the Bose Software Updater at btu.bose.com and follow the instructions that apply to your particular Bose headphones model.

Exposure To Extreme Temperatures

Your Bose headphones will not charge if exposed to extreme temperatures. Likewise, batteries of any kind in any Bose headphone model will not work if exposed to extremely low or extremely high temperatures.

For example, you might be using your headphones outdoors during the winter when temperatures are far too low to recharge your headphones.

Alternatively, you might be located in hot climates where the outdoor temperature goes well above the recommended range.

How to fix it: You can resolve this issue by charging your Bose headphones only when they’re at room temperature. Understandably, that might be a challenge to do if your climate is too hot or cold, and you’re trying to recharge them outdoors.

So, for the best results, charge your headphones indoors or while you’re inside a vehicle. That way, the unit will be within the ideal temperature range to charge normally.

Headphones On Before Charging

Your Bose headphones will not charge if they’re turned on. Instead, you must shut them off before you connect the charging cable. Doing this while the headphones are still on will lead to nothing happening.

How to fix it: Simply turn your Bose headphones off entirely before connecting them to the charger. Then, you’ll know they’re charging when you see the indicator light blinking.

Faulty or Incorrect USB Cable

A common reason why Bose headphones will not charge is that a faulty or incorrect USB cable is being used to do so.

Firstly, a faulty USB cable will not be able to supply electrical current to the headphones. As a result, they will not charge correctly no matter how long they’re connected.

Besides that, it’s also easy to assume that all USB cables are made the same. But, unfortunately, that’s not the case, as different USB cables also have different amperage levels that could affect the charging process.

Even though the type of USB cable matches perfectly, a third-party cable might not be able to charge your headphones the way you would expect.

How to fix it: To fix this issue, first try to connect your headphones to the charger using another USB cable. If the other cable works, that could mean your initial charging cable is faulty and possibly damaged on the inside.

For the best results, use USB charging cables provided directly by Bose. When the charging cable comes from the same manufacturer, you can rest assured that they’re designed to be compatible with your headphones.

Faulty Charger

The charger (or ‘charging adapter’) is also another crucial part of the process. The charger plugs into your wall socket and charges your headphones through the USB cable described above.

Suppose your headphones aren’t charging. There’s a chance that the problem lies in the charger. A faulty or damaged charger will not deliver the necessary electrical current to recharge your headphones’ battery.

How to fix it: To troubleshoot the charger, plug it into another wall socket to see if it works. You could also use the same charger on another compatible device to see if that one charges as well.

If neither of those work, it’s likely that the charger itself is damaged or faulty. A charger can’t be repaired, so you will need to replace it with a new unit.

Here, it’s also important to remember that not all USB chargers are made the same. For example, to charge Bose headphones, you will need a charger with a minimum of 1 Amp (expressed as 1A or 1mA).

Computer Charging Problems

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Source: The Verge

Seeing how Bose headphones can be charged with USB cables, you might find yourself plugging it into your computer and charging it that way. That’s perfectly fine, though it’s still possible to find that your headphones aren’t charging this way.

If your Bose headphones don’t charge when plugged into your computer’s USB port, here are a few possible reasons:

• The USB port is damaged
• You’re connecting the headphones to your computer indirectly via a USB hub
• The USB port has low amperage (Remember: it needs 1 Amp or more)
• The computer is turned off or on Standby or Hibernate mode.

How to fix it: First, ensure that you’re connecting the charging cable directly to your computer’s USB port and not through a USB hub.

Next, check that your computer is turned on and hasn’t gone into Standby, Hibernate, or similar modes. When computers enter these modes, they reduce their power usage by cutting off power to their USB ports.

Lastly, some computers have USB ports explicitly for charging. These ports offer higher amperage than the others. You should connect your headphones to those USB charging ports to charge your headphones.

Update Headphones Firmware

Your Bose headphones are controlled by firmware, a type of software installed inside the unit itself. Like any other software, your firmware must be kept up to date. Each update brings with it performance improvements and also fixes for any bugs that might exist.

One of those bugs might be affecting your headphones’ ability to charge. However, downloading the latest updates could fix the issue automatically.

How to fix it: Updating the firmware on Bose headphones is pretty straightforward compared to many other brands. All you have to do is head over to the Bose Software Updater at Btu.bose.com.

Once there, you can follow the on-screen instructions unique to your Bose headphones model on updating the firmware through that website.

Headphones Require A Reboot

When your headphones aren’t working as they should, it could signify that they need a reboot. A reboot might be the fix you need to resolve your headphones’ charging problems and many others.

How to fix: Here are the steps you’ll need to follow to reboot your Bose headphones:

1. First, disconnect your headphones from their charger.
2. Next, check that the headphones are turned off.
3. Wait 30 seconds.
4. Then, reconnect the headphones to the charger.
5. Wait 5 seconds.
6. Next, disconnect the USB charging cable.
7. Wait 1 minute.
8. Turn the headphones on to see if it will work normally.
9. Lastly, plug the charger into the headphones to see if normal charging will happen.

The steps mentioned above are a standard way of rebooting Bose headphones. However, you should refer to your user manual to see any steps relating specifically to your particular headphones model.

Headphones Require Professional Servicing

The next step would be to contact your local Bose customer service hotline for advice when all else fails. They will very likely ask whether or not you’ve tried rebooting it, so be sure to do that first.

Communicating with customer service will go a lot smoother if you already have all the critical information prepared. That information includes:

• The headphones’ model number.
• The headphones’ serial number.
• Specifics about the purchase (date, time, and seller).
• Any relevant warranty information.

Once you’ve provided them with the necessary information, they will advise you further on how to send your headphones for professional servicing and repairs.