How to control Bose wireless earbuds: tap, swipe, and press.
Whether you're commuting, working out, or relaxing, controlling your Bose wireless earbuds should feel effortless. With intuitive tap, swipe, press, and voice controls, plus customization through the Bose app, your listening experience adapts to your day. This guide explains how to use and personalize controls of the QuietComfort Earbuds, QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen), and Ultra Open Earbuds, helping you get the most out of every moment.
Switch noise cancellation modes with press and hold
Sometimes you need quiet, other times you need awareness, and with a simple press-and-hold, your earbuds adapt. On QuietComfort Earbuds, holding either side for one second cycles through Quiet, Aware, and off.
- Quiet Mode blocks distractions for full focus
- Aware Mode lets in your surroundings so you can stay connected to your environment
- Off conserves battery when you’re listening casually.
The QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) build on this with a new addition: Cinema Mode. This immersive mode transforms stereo into theater-like sound, so video feels more lifelike in your ears. Dialogue comes through clearer, background sound stays balanced, and effects spread out in a wider soundstage that feels connected to what you’re watching instead of feeling trapped inside your head.
Alongside Cinema Mode, the QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) keep the same core experience as QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (1st Gen), plus meaningful upgrades for everyday use: improved call quality with background noise suppression (SpeechClarity) to focus on your voice, smoother ActiveSense in Aware Mode, and the option to disable touch controls in the app when you want zero accidental taps.
For Ultra Open Earbuds, press-and-hold is fully customizable. In the app, you decide if it switches devices, cycles Immersive Audio, or brings up your voice assistant.
FAQs: Controlling Bose wireless earbuds
Can I control Bose earbuds without the app?
Yes. Every pair of Bose wireless earbuds comes with built-in tap, swipe, or press controls for playback, calls, volume, and noise control modes. The Bose app is optional but recommended if you want to customize gestures, create listening modes, or enable features like Auto Volume and ActiveSense.
Do Bose earbuds have voice commands?
Yes. All Bose wireless earbuds support voice control. With the Bose app or Bose QCE app, you can say “Hey headphones” to manage calls, music, or settings. You can also access your phone’s voice assistant (like Siri or Google Assistant) through shortcuts:
- QuietComfort Earbuds: say “Hey headphones” or assign voice assistant to a touch gesture
- QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen): set press-and-hold as a shortcut to launch your voice assistant
- Ultra Open Earbuds: assign press-and-hold in the Bose app to activate your voice assistant. Once set, just press and hold the button on either earbud to bring up your phone’s assistant.
How do I adjust the volume on Bose earbuds?
It depends on your model:
- QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen): swipe up or down on the touch surface
- QuietComfort Earbuds: tap + hold (right to raise, left to lower)
- Ultra Open Earbuds: press once, then press and hold the right earbud for louder or the left for softer
For the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds series, you can also turn on Auto Volume in the Bose app, which adapts sound automatically to your surroundings.
What listening modes can I choose from?
- QuietComfort Earbuds: Quiet, Aware, off.
- QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen): Quiet, Aware, Immersive, plus up to seven custom modes
- Ultra Open Earbuds: Change Immersive Audio through Still, Motion, and Off.
Can I customize controls on each earbud?
Yes. The Bose app lets you personalize each earbud individually. You can assign basic actions, like having the right earbud skip tracks while the left adjusts volume, or set up shortcuts for quick access to features you use most. That might mean cycling through listening modes, calling up your voice assistant, or even snapping a hands-free photo. And if you ever want to start fresh, you can reset everything back to default in the app.
