Noise Cancelling 700 Firmware Update - 1.7.0 - September 14th 2020

[Wayne_M]

@boliao45 @Gneuh @Nomed6 

Thank you for sharing your experience with updating. I am going to do some following up on this and will get back to you. With Thanksgiving there may be some delays so thank you for your patience.

Regarding the downgrade, there are a number of reasons why this isn't encouraged or something we often make available. I won't go into a lot of detail, but the main reasons are security and interoperability.

As always we do pay attention to feedback and what we see on the forums though, so I can definitely pass along your desire to see downgrade options made available.

Thanks!

[Nomed6]

@Wayne_M  obviously downgrade is not the preferred option,

Can you get your development team to look at how the headset updates and its interaction with a paired device, seems to not run correctly if you are updating from an older firmware after headset is paired.

For example I had paired at version x.x.x when I purchased them originally and all  worked well, auto update to 1.7.0 automatically they no longer worked or connected to the app, despite troubleshooting including resets and cleared pairing etc etc,  Downgraded to 1.3.1 worked well again with no issues and connected to app.

Factory reset phone and updated headphones to latest firmware 1.8.2 BEFORE pairing to phone and they perform well again connecting to app fine.

Seems in the process of updating it corrupts the bluetooth connection process rendering the headphones usless with any device they have previously been paired to.

[Gneuh]

Hi @Wayne_M 

Thanks for the answer.

Yet, if I may rephrase the answer of @Nomed6 :

"obviously downgrade is not the preferred option of Bose...", yet, as far I am concerned, the sole firmware that really worked (and, I am sorry to insist on that point, insure a nice ANC compared to the other versions), was the 1.3.1.

Therefore the rephrasing in my case goes on with "... but obviously, this would be mine".

I understand that Bose is not keen on recognizing that the development is not convergent, but that's getting stubborn, and actually, allow a downgrade would increase the level of trust for new upgrades.

Right now, reading the feedbacks form 1.8.2, there is no way I would perform the upgrade. Still, the app is forcing it (at least was, and here again, why should I take the risk to see if this is not the case anymore, to end up with unwanted updates.

Those are the points, not only technical, but of trust in the brand....

Just my 2 cents.

[Nomed6]

@Wayne_M  So update on 1.8.2 after phone a factory reset, THE BOOTLOOP IS BACK. Turned them on today and they start to announce the connection to my phone then cuts out halfway and about 30 sec later reboot. No functionality possible until I turn my phones bluetooth off.

So I have removed the Bose app from my phone and gone back to 1.3, it works the rest don't.

The updates are rubbish and I don't want the app forcing them on me. Let me know when Bose has a stable firmware that doesn't bootloop on and off, buzz, crackle, can connect to at least one device and stay there, with a sound that is outstanding and great noise cancelling, because right now as far as my headphones are concerned you are way of the mark on anything above 1.3.1

If you or your team want more information regarding my experience with these headphones tech details on equipment or to work with me to get more information on the issue then have someone PM me. Happy to help you guys get to the bottom of the issue but you need to work with us or get on top of the issues yourselves. I would hate to think of the return rate on NC700 right now!

[boliao45]

@Wayne_M  from the feedback of @Nomed6 it is obvious and proven that any firmware version upwards of 1.3.1 is not satisfactory, and that Bose is doing a bad job QC testing the firmware before making it public or just trying to fix something while breaking other thing that has been working before. note that all these bad firmware have a common point of adding the EQ function to the headphone, so just like microsoft's way, break things by adding new feature then spend time fixing the things that's been broken. but unlike microsoft who could have a quick turn around of releasing a patch every month sometimes shorter, your firmware release is not.

Given the headset's basic function vs EQ feature, i'd gladly stick with the basic function and drop EQ altogether.  Good ANC(with little to no passthru), no auto resume play from wrong source and no stuttering is what i care most and made my choice for this particular product NOT the EQ otherwise would have gone sony route.

Face it, EQ is not bose's strength don't blindly follow the market. give us back the working basics that 1.3.1 had been doing so well. heck, maybe even split the firmware an EQ release and a non EQ basic release and let user choose which one to go to.

[Gneuh]

Again, I have to simply agree with @boliao45 ...

Basically, the latest stable firmware was 1.3.1.

So I don't get the stubbornness of Bose for downgrading.

And do not give me the "yeah, but you know, we will have problems when downgrading". Will the problem for those that actively downgrade be worse as the current ones?  Asking is already asnwering.

On a side note on this: I am on a couple of communities, and a part thereof is always about complaining that something is wrong, while another is about user exchange and tips and tricks. That's inherent to the concept. But this one is the sole one where I see ONLY complaints, since tricks are censored by Bose... @bose , it should ring a bell that there's something fundamentally wrong with your way of doing.

[torito22]

Hello, I will tell about my experience with bose, a few years ago I bought the bose QC25 they worked wonderfully after 2 years they stopped working, I called customer service and the solution was to send me new ones, I thought that good service, a few days they arrived The new headphones, very poor sound cancellation, bad sound quality, I called back and they sent me other equally bad ones, in the month of July of this year I thought about buying others and I went to a store thinking about buying the sony 1000,  The seller convinced me to buy the bose 700 saying they were the best, I bought them and today 3 months later it is impossible to update them, nobody helped me to update them in customer service and they tell me the same thing again, we will send you new ones, which will be poor quality of course, i'm disappointed with this company and wanted you to know

[Rmob]

I am currently on 1.3 and have NEVER upgraded the firmware. I personally don't care for the EQ as I've heard the horror stories. It's absurd that there are no fixes for these headphones. I purchased them for the call quality and thus far it's 50-50 whether the call quality is good or bad. When speaking on conference calls I usually receive messages and feedback that my voice sounds like I'm underwater or sounds like Darth Vader. Out of frustration, I end up just putting my phone on speaker for a quick fix. For the price of these headphones you would think they would get 2 of the main features right. I refuse to use them for calls as the voice quality is horrendous. 

I am currently on an iPhone X, the latest software, and nothing else connected to the headset. 

Bose, this should be a prioritized fix as it's been months since a usable firmware update. I would like to return them but I'm past the return period - but still in warranty. My $400 headphones just collect dust and I have to resort to my work-issued headset to have a normal conversation. 

Disappointed with the product, software, and the level of support. Bose should recall all the headsets and write them off as manufacturer defect. 

[Wayne_M]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for your patience while I looked into the firmware upgrade process. I want to start with an apology as there was misinformation in my previous post due to a misunderstanding. You are correct: the firmware update for the NC700 is automatic.

As soon as the app is opened and connects to your headset, it checks the cloud for a newer version of firmware. If it sees a newer version is available, it immediately starts downloading the file from the cloud to the app. Once on your phone, it transfers from the phone to the headset over Bluetooth low energy when you open the Bose Music app. This whole process generally takes around 15 to 20 minutes for NC 700 and happens in the background so that you can continue to use your headphones as you normally would.

Once the transfer is complete, you will see the “install update” button on the app which allows you to implement the change immediately. This will power cycle your product and stop your current session. If you don’t click on this button, the headphone will boot from the new firmware on the next power cycle so that your listening experience is not disrupted.

The intent behind these automatic firmware updates is to ensure everyone benefits from the improvements we make with each version, most of which are too numerous to mention in the release notes. However, we understand your feedback, and are exploring the best way to address your concerns.

It may take us sometime so please bear with us, but I’ll make sure to get back to you with updates when I have them.

Thanks!

[Gneuh]

@Wayne_M 

"The intent behind these automatic firmware updates is to ensure everyone benefits from the improvements we make with each version, most of which are too numerous to mention in the release notes. However, we understand your feedback, and are exploring the best way to address your concerns."

I do not find the joke funny anymore, sorry. Could you list the benefits and compare them to the disadvantage (not mentioning that it's a forced shoving of update in our throats).... we had to, and the balance is simply disastrous. 

"It may take us sometime so please bear with us, but I’ll make sure to get back to you with updates when I have them."

Problems starting long time ago, and worsening on every iteration. you HAD time. Why should we trust you now about time and quality of firmware?

You are missing the point: any trust is destroyed, give me one reason why I should attempt to use a bad firmware, without being sure that I can overcome the problem that it generates. Think TRUST!

Or at least pay us for the beta testing, which is obviously inexistant.

And by the way, I will still invite people to give their headphones back.