Bose has FINALLY fixed one of the big issues I had with its flagship wireless earbuds

I’m a big fan of Bose headphones. They’re far from cheap but you get what you pay for, particularly where active noise cancellation is concerned.

The American manufacturer delivers best-in-class ANC across its over-ear and true wireless ranges and I really enjoy the sound signature of recent releases like the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and Ultra Open Earbuds. 

Those options are the first Bose headphones to support high-resolution streaming (courtesy of Snapdragon Sound and aptX Adaptive) and Bose’s new Immersive Audio technology. Where previously Bose was at a disadvantage to the Sony WF-1000XM5 and Apple AirPods Pro concerning hi-res codec support and spatial audio, it’s now on a more level playing field.

However, the two pairs of wireless earbuds still had a couple of key features missing at launch: Bluetooth multipoint and wireless charging. Multipoint pairing was promised via a future firmware update when the Open Earbuds were released in February. I’m pleased to say it’s finally available on those buds and their noise-cancelling stablemates.

To access it, you’ll need to download updates via the Bose Music app. Simply open the app, head to the Settings cog in the top right-hand corner and click the “Product Update” tab in the About section.

In the case of the QC Ultra Earbuds, the update is v. 4.0.20, while the Ultra Open Earbuds require v. 4.0.22. A word of warning: the updates take quite some time (roughly 45 minutes in my experience), the buds must remain connected during the process and you need to keep the app running in the background. You can continue to use the earbuds during the data transfer, however, which is a relief.

Having downloaded the updates on both pairs of earbuds, I can confirm that multipoint is working as intended. It’s not active by default – you need to toggle it on in the “Source” section of the app – but I had no problems whatsoever connecting to a second device once I’d engaged it.

It’s easy to switch between your various paired sources via the app too, though the buds don’t automatically switch sources based on which is playing audio. To get audio streaming from your second device you need to manually pause content on your primary source before hitting play. This makes the process less seamless than with some multipoint-enabled earbuds.

Based on my initial testing, connection stability was good, and I noticed that the Open Earbuds disconnected from the app less frequently than they did when I reviewed them earlier in the year. Bose says voice pickup while on calls has also been improved on the Ultra Open Earbuds, though I can’t say I noticed much of a difference here.

So, has my opinion of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and Bose Ultra Open Earbuds changed following the addition of Bluetooth multipoint? Yes, but not dramatically. Multipoint pairing is very handy and serves to bolster the impressive feature sets on both buds, despite the fact device switching is not quite as seamless as it could be.

Multipoint should really have been there at launch but I’m glad that Bose has been true to its word and added it. It removes one of the cons I listed in my QC Ultra Earbuds review and helps cement their position as the best wireless earbuds for those wanting to reduce the impact of the world around them. The Ultra Open Earbuds already had a source-switching feature so it’s less of a fillip for them, but they’re still among the best open-fit earbuds around.