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Bose QuietComfort 35 II users report worse noise cancelling after update
August 17, 2025
Over the last month, several owners of the immensely-popularBose QuietComfort 35 IIheadphones have reported that recent updates to firmware (4.5.2) have decreased the effectiveness of the active noise canceling (ANC). While this doesn’t appear to affect all users, it’s something that certainly gives owners of the headphones pause when updating their software.
In a longthread on the support forums, many users have reported that after updating to the latest firmware, both the “high” and “low” ANC settings now perform with the same efficacy. Unfortunately, these users report that it appears that the software is stuck on the “low” setting.
It appears that the issue is a little more widespread than it has been inprevious years, as we’ve found complaints beyond Bose’s support forums. There are a number ofcomplaints on Reddit, for example.
In a statement toThe Verge, Bose stated that no changes were made to the ANC software in the headphones and that users are discouraged from reverting to previous firmware. While a user in the Bose support forums offeredthis workaround, it’s not clear whether or not this will work for all affected headsets. We asked our colleagues over atSoundGuysto see if they could replicate the issue, but their unit did not exhibit a change in ANC performance.
Many of the affected users report a mismatch between the reported firmware in the Bose Connect App and what Bose’s update app reads. Because of this, theSoundGuyspostulated it might have been a failed update causing the issue. And indeed, running through the steps to fix a failed update seems to remedy the situation for many of the users reporting issues after the firmware update.
If you are an owner of theBose QuietComfort 35 IIand have run into poor ANC performance after the update, we recommend you follow these steps before contacting Bose support.
Those steps may not solve the problem, but it will at least ensure that you’re running the latest firmware by a process that’s more likely to succeed. This was sufficient for some users in the support forum, but your mileage may vary.
NEXT:Google Assistant is coming to select Bose smart speakers
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