QC35II: Switching (single) audio sources

[jorisw_]

Hi, 

Please let me know if there is a better place to submit a feature request.

The QC35II has a configurable action button. I don't use Alexa, Siri, or whatever voice assistant, and I only want to use Active Noise Cancellation at its highest setting.

I do however need to switch Bluetooth audio sources often, as they all connect to the headset as soon as it's detected, which diminishes audio quality and reception.

Could we please get a setting in the Connect app, that lets us set the Action Button as a means of switching between connected Bluetooth audio sources?

Edit: I realize now, after reading this post, that the problem is two sided: Bose's headphones also need to stop auto connecting to any paired device that is in proximity. Then allow users to easily switch, at least with the ones that have an action button, if it is configured as such. Because why would you want to listen to two devices at once, anyway?

[Zoe_C]

Hello jorisw_,

Thanks for posting and welcome to the community, that's an excellent question! The QuietComfort35 headphones do enable you to toggle through your paired devices, to do this you can use the Bluetooth button. You might find this community thread helpful as the methods for toggling between paired devices are featured, you can also find more information on moving between paired devices in the owners manual for the QC35 headphones. 

I hope this helps, should you have any further questions then please get in touch.

Kindest regards,

Zoe C - Community Support 

[jorisw_]

Thanks, I had no idea I could use the switch for that.

Though I did have to re-enable voice prompts in order for this to work. This is not mentioned in the manual.

[jorisw_]

So, now that I know the side switch can be used to 'navigate' connected sources, I still find the button counter intuitive and not as helpful as I had hoped.

I have three paired devices: two computers and a phone. They're always all in range.

When I turn on my QC35II, with voice feedback enabled, the voice speaks the name of random two of those three devices. Using the switch, then switches from two out of three connected devices, to two other devices. 

It appears as if this is also confusing my devices. For instance, if I make it switch from "Connected to Mac Mini and iPhone", to "Mac Mini and MacBook Pro", often my MacBook Pro won't play audio to it. Messing with the volume keys, or even with the Output device in the System Preferences, doesn't work.

I would strongly suggest that Bose update the firmware to let me switch from and to single audio sources. Not two at a time. I believe simplicity in operation would be of much more value than the ability to have several devices connected simultaneously.

[shubharthi25]

This is actually a very important feedback, and one which i think should be present. I have the same issue, where I always have 3 devices in range and need to switch between them. I feel this is a very frequent use-case and would be very helpful if this was provided.

[jorisw_]

Another day of agitation with this multiple device business.

- I sit down at my dining table where I work with my MacBook Pro

- My Mac mini is on and in range too; it serves as my media centre.

- I've turned off Bluetooth on my iPhone.

- I decide to use my QC35II headphones as there's a lot of noise coming from the street.

- I turn it on, and it speaks "Mac mini, and, MacBook Pro" as connected devices.

- Some video is already playing on the MacBook Pro, but it cannot be heard. It has stopped coming from the speakers as the MacBook Pro knows there is a Bluetooth audio device connected, to which it is presumably sending audio.

- I push the side switch forward, and the QC35|| repeats the list of connected devices.

- I push it forward briefly again, and it says MacBook Pro.

- There is still no audio coming from the playing video on the MacBook Pro.

- I mess around with the output devices in the MacBook Pro's System Preferences, i.e. I switch it to speakers, which begin to produce sound, then back to the QC35II. Still no sound.

- I use Screen Sharing to disconnect the QC35II on the Mac mini. Sound from the MacBook Pro now comes into the QC35II set.

You can see how cumbersome, unintuitive, user-unfriendly and plain annoying this is.

Bose, please remove (or let users opt to disable) multi-connections, in favor of simple, reliable, switching between audio devices.

Thank you.

[progimaki]

I'm in the same boat and I can really feel your pain. It's especially frustrating with such an expensive and otherwise really high quality product like this headset.

I have an idea how this could be improved. Please add an option in the Bose Connect app that allows setting the action button to be a switch between the single and multi source modes and another option (also int the app) to set the default behaviour for the headset when it starts up. This way we could make it only connect to one device by default and switch the multi-source mode on whenever we need it (if ever?). Obviously it would need a brand new single source mode, and storage for these settings, but I do hope this could be introduced with a firmware upgrade.

Let me also add that I don't really see either why would anyone want to connect to 2 devices the same time. All I had from this "feature" is frustration.