Why Does My Bose Speaker Keep Turning on By Itself?

Bose makes elegant and decent speakers that offer a lot more than your expectations. Usually, they perform well and rarely have issues, but like any other gadget, there are times when something doesn’t go right, and it needs to be reset. For instance, your speaker may randomly turn on by itself. What do you do then?

Here is why it is a problem, why it happens, and what you need to know to get it functioning properly again.

Why Does My Bose Speaker Keep Turning on By Itself?

There are several reasons why your Bose speaker keeps randomly turning on. Usually, a faulty power outlet, charging cable, a bug in the software, or an outdated software version are the culprits. But the most common reason identified by many users is as a result of Bose’s implementation of the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) feature, which allows your speaker signal to remain active, allowing it to be easily powered on when another linked device commands it to.

In this article, we will be highlighting how these speakers function and why they are prone to such frustrating issues. Read on if you’d like to learn how to troubleshoot your speaker!

Bose Speakers

Bose speakers are some of the most serious and consistent pound-for-pound performers on the market today. They come in a litany of capacities, including high-end build, intuitive controls, and stellar, expressive, and immersive audio. Even the small portable types tend to impress.

Although Bose’s line of speakers includes the wired types, the manufacturer also offers a complex range of smart and wireless Bluetooth speakers, the latter being the popular devices that randomly turn on. Some of these speakers are compatible with each other, and some are not.

Bluetooth is a convenient technology that allows users to transfer data between two devices, say your phone and your Bose speakers. It is, in fact, one of the most widely used wireless technology in the world, and with the increasing usage and adoption in the speaker audio industry, 8 out of 10 speakers may include Bluetooth by the end of 2022.

Its greatness notwithstanding, Bluetooth tech is quite a bummer when it cuts out or gets your device turning on and off. This is particularly the case for those who love toying around with several connected gadgets, and all this occurs thanks to how Bluetooth technology works.

How Bluetooth Speakers Work

The working principle of the Bluetooth technology is through a point-to-point wireless system that incorporates a transmitter, such as your smartphone, and a receiver, the speaker outputting your music, such as the Bose speaker.

The setup is direct and quite easy to set up, and once complete, you can stream some quality music and watch movies with enhanced audio fidelity. Unlike Wi-Fi speakers that don’t function without a bridge between the speaker and the source of the audio, Bluetooth speakers establish a connection wirelessly as soon as the two linked devices are activated and are within range.

This communication occurs over what is known as a piconet short-range network, which often may include several other Bluetooth devices. Once the audio source and the Bluetooth device are within a single piconet, they connect automatically and begin communicating with one serving as a control center and the other one a receiver.

Other none-Bluetooth wireless speakers, on the other hand, utilize a Wi-Fi network to function. While they can handle more bandwidth than Bluetooth music systems, they can be integrated into your home’s network, allowing you to easily play audio from any device connected to the network.

That said, some interferences may occur on both types of connections that may otherwise turn an idle speaker on and off.

What’s the Catch?

Wireless speakers, particularly the Bluetooth types, may always turn on when a linked device is activated. This happens when the controlling device is supported by the speaker and is within range.

What this means is that anyone who has established a connection with your speakers within range, whether indoors or outdoors, can turn on your speakers and play the music or videos on their devices. And usually, once a device is connected, unless it is deactivated from the controlling device, you will be forced to reset your speakers.

This is what makes your Bose speaker randomly turn on. The Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology doesn’t help matters. This feature, which is mainly used by Bose on its Soundlink speakers, is a low-power wireless connection technology that can be utilized over short distances. This, in itself, is a vulnerability as it leaves your speakers vulnerable and open to connection with paired gadgets such as your smartphone, smartwatch, fitness tracker, wireless headphones, laptops, and other devices you interact with daily.

To make the matters worse, hacking BLE modules that have an already verified connection is almost impossible. So, what do you do?

Bose Speaker Keep Turning On: How to Fix

1. Reset Your Bose Speaker

If you’re running into issues like your Bose speaker turning on by itself, the easiest way is to reset it to ensure that there are no software issues wrong. Resetting it will clear the language selection, along with all the other settings implemented since its purchase. It will restore your Bose speaker to its factory settings. But since it is a speaker and not a device you use to store personal data, the factory reset is trivial.

Before resetting your Bose speaker, make sure that it is paired, also, check to confirm if it seamlessly connects with the Bose Connect app. Through this app, you can update the speaker’s software, a move that might fix the problem. Otherwise, here are the different ways you can use to reset various Bose speakers:

• Bose Soundlink Color – To reset this speaker, press and hold the AUX button as well as the Volume Down key for 10 seconds.

• Bose Soundlink Mini – Use the Mute key to reset it by pressing and holding it for 10 seconds.

• Bose Soundlink Mini 2 – This speaker is reset by pressing and holding the Power button for 10 seconds.

• Bose Soundlink Revolve – Its procedure is the same as that of the Mini 2. Press and hold the Power button for 10 seconds. The speaker will restart and rest itself.

NOTE: The above are some of the most common Bose Soundlink speakers. If your speaker isn’t on the list, don’t fret. Bose has ensured that all the instructions for all its products are available on its support website. From the page, you can simply enter the specific model of your speakers in the search box and get a guideline on how to reset it.

2. Disable Bluetooth on Connected Devices

Remember, the rampant waking up of your Bose speaker is a result of the BLE implementation on your speakers. This means it can be turned on by the Bose Connect app, sending it into Party or Stereo mode via the app. This explains why it turns on in response to another device, and it means that the problem may not be with your Bose Soundlink speaker hardware, but the paired devices.

If you are experiencing this problem while using your computer, ensure that the Bluetooth setting is disabled on your machine, and if you are using the Bose Connect app, delete your laptop from the memory list of the paired devices. This way, your computer won’t automatically wake your Bose speaker unprecedently and unnecessarily. The same goes for any other device, such as your tablet, iPad, or smartphone among others, that keep waking up your speaker. This step should be applied if the first method doesn’t work.

The good news, for the better part, is that this problem doesn’t happen with all the Bluetooth implementations. If, for instance, you are using Intel Bluetooth hardware on your laptop, you can disable it and use different hardware, such as a Bluetooth USB Dongle, and the problem will be solved.

The bottom line, as it were, is that this Bose vulnerability is quite unnerving, and it may keep recurring, especially since the speakers come with an on/off switch that is merely a toggle between a full function and a reduced function that require a little trigger to turn it on in BLE mode.

The easiest solution would be to completely turn off your speaker when not in use. This prevents it from randomly powering on in response to other connected devices.

What If My Bose Speaker Turns Off by Itself?

While this is highly unlikely, when it happens, you can rectify the problem by resetting your Bose speaker as per the previously highlighted steps. If it doesn’t work, confirm if the power outlet is functioning, or you can disable the Auto-Off feature. Similarly, regularly check for the speaker’s updates and ensure that it is fully charged.

Closing Thoughts

A Bose speaker that keeps turning on by itself can often be resolved by factory resetting it. If this procedure fails to rectify the issue, then disconnect the connected devices from the list of paired Bluetooth gadgets as that could also be the culprit. It is equally important to ensure that the speaker’s software is up to date.

Meanwhile, here is a resourceful article for you if you a looking for a solution to a Bose speaker that can’t stop beeping.