Bose is ending its cloud support for the SoundTouch wireless speaker family, meaning the systems will lose their integrated streaming sources and services, as well as control through the Bose app.
Owners aren’t completely left in the lurch, however: the company is providing account credit of up to $200 to those who qualify even if it’s largely a consolation as cloud-reliant features go away.
What’s Changing for SoundTouch Owners After Support Ends
The SoundTouch line was constructed on cloud services that bridged Wi-Fi streaming and internet radio, on the one hand, and multiroom syncing across multiple speakers, on the other. When that cloud infrastructure is shut off, those integrated services — like Spotify and TuneIn in the SoundTouch experience — will cease to work. Multi-room playback, a star feature on the platform, will also be taken away.
Crucially, the hardware itself is not becoming a bunch of paperweights. SoundTouch speakers will still stream audio from local devices, such as Bluetooth, AUX or HDMI if they have transport controls. But the company won’t assure the long-term performance of those fallback paths, and will issue no more security updates when support ends. The SoundTouch app will shut down after that date, though downloads already acquired are expected to continue working in some areas until the deadline. My Bose accounts are still active.
For context, the SoundTouch line first launched over a decade ago and included models like the SoundTouch 30 that were among the most expensive Wi-Fi Audio devices on the market at launch and were part of defining what Wi-Fi audio meant back in the pre-smart-assistant age. Now the cloud-first design and approach that was once so forward-looking is what’s causing an inexorable aging out of the line.
How the SoundTouch Credit Works, and Who Qualifies
Bose has also offered affected owners up to $200 in credit on future purchases. The sum apparently varies by model and region. To confirm eligibility, users can input their serial numbers through Bose’s support channels or log in to their My Bose account for specific offers associated with registered products. It’s not even a cash refund, it is just part of the incentive to get people onto Bose’s current ecosystem.
Coverage of the move from news outlets such as Ars Technica indicates that the credit is intended to help complement, rather than replace, lost functionality. If you depend on multi-room audio, know that switching to another platform — Bose’s newer app ecosystem or a competitor’s system — may be necessary to re-create whole-home playback.
Why Bose Is Pulling the Plug on SoundTouch Cloud Support
Bose cites an increasing cost and complexity of managing a legacy cloud stack for a past generation of products. Keeping authentication servers, metadata services and integration endpoints up for platform providers is costly and supporting firmware and silicon developed years ago that was not built to handle today’s modern security requirements and streaming challenges shouldn’t be so complicated.
It’s the familiar arc of connected audio. The Iowa-based firm joins a string of open-source projects a little behind the curve, facing similar choices about costs and risks in the face of shifting APIs and rising security baselines but without significant install bases to merit rewrites. The day of analysts who track connected-device life cycles have long pointed to a realistic support window for smart speakers, measured in single-digit years, especially when crucial features rely on cloud services hosted outside the manufacturer’s direct control.
The Backlash And The Larger Smart Home Problem
As one might expect, the announcement has led to frustration. In online community forums like Reddit, some owners say their entire audio setups now feel stranded, and a few said they spent thousands to build out synced SoundTouch systems. Petitions and open letters calling for continued support are circulating — a refrain that has been heard from other brands in the past with legacy gear being phased out.
Consumer advocates have been sounding the alarm on remote feature removals for years. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has made antiques of “end-of-life by switch” tactics that remove advertised features from products that have already been purchased. By contrast, the Global E-waste Monitor from the International Telecommunication Union and UNITAR estimates that over 60 million metric tons of e-waste are generated each year around the world – and only a small percentage is responsibly recycled – an environmental landscape in which cloud deprecations loom particularly large.
There is precedent — Logitech’s sunsetting of Harmony Link, the shutdown of some Revolv smart hubs under an earlier Nest ownership, and shifting allegiances in the multi-app world of streaming speakers chart how connected products are reliant on cloud investment.
Bose isn’t the first (or certainly the last) — but that’s unlikely to be of much consolation to households investing in multi-room and integrated streaming overnight.
What SoundTouch Owners Should Do Now to Prepare and Adapt
- First, check if you’re eligible for Bose’s credit by looking up your product serial number at the company’s support page or My Bose account. Keep a record of your model’s information and proof of purchase if you have it: credits may vary by device.
- Second, plan ahead for life after the cutoff. If you depend on SoundTouch presets or internet radio, prepare backups — Bluetooth from a phone, AUX from a streamer, HDMI from a TV — so your home doesn’t go silent overnight. If multi-room is everything to you, consider ecosystems that offer local casting standards alongside the cloud stuff to hedge your bets down the road.
- Finally, consider security hygiene. If you can’t patch them, leave any legacy speakers on a guest or IoT network and restrict unnecessary permissions. If you’ve opted for hardware retirement, please check local e-waste processes to recycle responsibly.
Bose’s move highlights a cold reality about smart speakers: when the cloud is the product, the product can change. The extended credit being offered can help, but if you’re an owner and want a unit to last longer than the 18 months of coverage (when stands lose their access) may prefer systems that keep core playback local — with cloud-based integrations treated as nice-to-have bonuses as opposed to essential features.