Smart & Connected Life > Smart Watches & Wearables How to Connect Bose Headphones to Your iPhone Pair great sound with your iPhone via Bluetooth By Brad Stephenson Brad Stephenson Facebook Twitter Freelance Contributor Western Sydney University Brad Stephenson is a freelance tech and geek culture writer with 12+ years' experience. He writes about Windows 10, Xbox One, and cryptocurrency. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on November 29, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Smart Watches & Wearables Eco Tech Electric Vehicles Working From Home Headphones & Ear Buds Smart Home Smart Watches & Wearables Travel Tech Connected Car Tech iPods & MP3 Players What to Know Confirm Bluetooth is enabled on the iPhone. On the Bose headset, flick the switch on the right earpiece from red to green.Open the Bose Connect app. It detects the Bose headphones automatically.When the screen says Drag to Connect, swipe down to pair the iPhone and Bose headphones. This article explains how to pair compatible Bose headphones with the iPhone using a Bluetooth connection and the Bose Connect app. It also includes information on pairing the two devices in the Settings app on the iPhone and how to disconnect. How to Connect Bose Headphones to iPhone Using Bose Connect App All Bose wired headsets can connect to iPhones equipped with a traditional audio jack, but recent iPhones don't have audio jacks, and many headphones are wireless. Bose headphones connect to iPhones using the Bluetooth option and the Bose Connect app for Apple iPhones and other iOS mobile devices. In addition to simplifying the connection process, the Bose Connect app installs firmware updates that support for new features and fix audio bugs or glitches. Download the Bose Connect app to your iPhone from the App Store. Turn your Bose Bluetooth-compatible headset on by flicking the switch from red to green on the right earpiece. Open the Bose Connect app. Make sure you have Bluetooth enabled on your iPhone. The Bose Connect iPhone app should automatically detect the Bose headphones. When it does, you see an image of your headphones and the text "Drag To Connect." Swipe down on the screen to begin connecting your Bose headset to your iPhone. If your headphones aren't detected, you see a screen offering several tips for helping your iPhone find them. If you wear the Bose headphones during this process, you hear audio confirmation of the connection when it's complete. The Bose Connect app begins to sync with your iPhone, and the word "Connecting" appears at the bottom of the screen. After the connection is confirmed, tap Ready To Play at the bottom of the screen. You can now use your Bose Bluetooth headset to listen to all audio on your iPhone. You may also see a "Preparing product update" message along the top of the Bose Connect app. This notice means the app is downloading an update that it sends wirelessly to your Bose headphones. While new Bose Bluetooth headphones can ship with some charge in their batteries, they may need charging before they can be turned on and connected to your iPhone or other smart device. How to Pair Bose Headsets With iPhone Settings While the Bose Connect app is the recommended method for pairing Bose headphones to an iPhone, you can also connect a Bose headset using the iOS Settings app. Go to Settings > Bluetooth on the iPhone. Bluetooth must be turned on for this method to work. Turn on your Bose headphones by turning the switch on the right earpiece from red to green. Under Other Devices, tap the headphones you want to use. When the connection to Bluetooth is made, the headphones move to the My Devices section with a status of Connected. The name of your headphones has "Bose" in it somewhere. Your Bose headphones are now connected to your iPhone. While this method works to connect your Bose headphones to your iPhone, you need the Bose Connect app to install updates and control the noise cancellation. How to Disconnect Bose Headphones From an iPhone Turning off your Bose Bluetooth headphones is simple. Just flick the switch on the right earpiece from green to red. If you want to disconnect the headphones from your iPhone while still using them on another device, you can do that, too. Open the Bose Connect app, tap the image of your headphones, then tap Disconnect. You can also turn off Bluetooth on your iPhone to disable the wireless connection. To remove Bose headphones from an iPhone altogether to prevent them from pairing automatically in the future, go to Settings > Bluetooth, tap the i symbol next to the headphones' name and then tap Forget This Device. 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