Bose this week quietly announced AirPlay 2 support for its line of "BoseSmart" smart speakers. The audio company revealed the added functionality via its official Twitter account and separately in a post on its community support forums.

bosesmart speaker range
Introduced late last year, the BoseSmart range of speakers support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and Alexa voice activation. Models in the range that now support ‌AirPlay‌ 2 include the Bose Home Speaker 500 ($399), the Soundbar 500 ($549), and the Soundbar 700 ($799). Bose says the feature support is being delivered to eligible speakers as an over-the-air firmware update, via the Bose Music app.

As noted by HomeKit Hero, the company's announcement comes as somewhat of a surprise, as Bose had previously given no indication that ‌AirPlay‌ 2 support was coming to its speakers, and the brand didn't appear on Apple's own third-party AirPlay 2 speakers list, which includes both available and upcoming products.

In its forum post, Bose mentioned it is still working on bringing ‌AirPlay‌ 2 compatibility to its SoundTouch speakers, which start at $199 and also include Alexa support, but offered no timeline for its introduction.

Tags: AirPlay, Bose

Top Rated Comments

Santabean2000 Avatar
Santabean2000
89 months ago
More support for Airplay 2 the better. But I’ll be keeping my Sonos, thanks!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Creek0512 Avatar
Creek0512
89 months ago
As noted by HomeKit Hero ('https://twitter.com/Homekit_Hero/status/1119062510991233024'), the company's announcement comes as somewhat of a surprise, as Bose had previously given no indication that AirPlay 2 support was coming to its speakers
Well that’s completely wrong. Bose announced last August that these speakers would gain AirPlay 2 support sometime in “early 2019”, you guys even had an article about it.

https://www.geekwebguides.com/2018/08/28/bose-homepod-competitor/
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
colinchuang Avatar
colinchuang
89 months ago
I love the sound of my HomePod, but I frequently have connectivity issues when trying to stream from my iPhone. Oddly, no issues when I ask the HomePod to play directly from Apple Music.

Sometimes my WiFi is a little wonky, but I can’t for the life of me figure out why Airplay streaming would be the only casualty.

As steaming is what I’m mostly interested in from a smart speaker, maybe I’ll look into the Sonos and Bose. Anyone have an opinion on the relative sound quality of these three?
Hi, AirPlay works great with Sonos. I have the beam and a One, and am waiting for these new speaker lamps from Ikea to arrive. But I have a Bose Soundbar 700 too which I can now test with Airplay. This will make or break. The Sonos AirPlay is seamless ✌️
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I7guy Avatar
I7guy
89 months ago
That’s also true, I have the QC30 Buds, did have the QC35’s but sold and replaced with Sony’s latest and they seem to be rated as better than QC35.
I think Bose should be very worried - they no longer have the edge with a lot of their consumer product...
I’m not sure about this. Specifically the qc35 are supposed to have the edge in comfort and can connect to two sources. Sony has always made good products, but it’s always an individual choice. I have the qc35 and love them. I think the interface and use of the qc35 are better than the Sony based on the features/functions.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I7guy Avatar
I7guy
89 months ago
Well I don’t know about Sony’s anc, but I bought the Bose qc35 ii on a impulse due to a flight from Phoenix to NY. I wore the qc35 nearly the entire flight and the performance was phenomenal and comfortable. So if the Sony’s are better it wouldn’t make a difference and I would go for comfort, features and use. Ymmv.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
colinchuang Avatar
colinchuang
89 months ago
Yep. This is true. They make damn good headphones though ✌️
[doublepost=1555738026][/doublepost]
Bose were originally on the Airplay2 list but that was close to 2yrs ago and more recently were not listed on the official Airplay2 sign ups...
Bose have been promising Airplay2 support on the SoundTouch range as ‘coming soon’ ever since Airplay2 was announced by Apple and it has still not appeared and probably never will as the SoundTouch models are now old product, replaced by a newer and non compatible range.
Would advise strongly to avoid Bose as they promise many things but do not deliver. The Bose forums are full of angry SoundTouch owners that have ongoing issues with connectivity and lack of promised features..
Yep. This is true. They make damn good headphones though ✌️
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Read Full Article • 148 comments
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Read Full Article
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
Read Full Article • 154 comments
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
Read Full Article • 37 comments
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 18 Pro Max Rumored to Deliver Next-Level Battery Life

Friday February 6, 2026 5:14 am PST by
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, according to a known Weibo leaker. Citing supply chain information, the Weibo user known as "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a battery capacity of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh. Combined with the efficiency improvements of the A20 Pro chip, made with TSMC's 2nm process, the...
Read Full Article • 107 comments