Bose Throws End-Of-Life SoundTouch Owners a Lifeline, Plans an Offline App Update and Opens the API
While the cloud servers for the SoundTouch family are still to be shuttered, users will no longer be left entirely adrift.
Audio specialist Bose has surprised owners of its discontinued SoundTouch cloud-powered product line: while the cloud servers are still to be shuttered later this year, users will receive an update allowing for local-only use — and technical specifications have been released for makers to design their own SoundTouch-compatible software as a replacement for Bose's own.
"Bose SoundTouch systems were introduced into the market in 2013. Technology has evolved since then and we're no longer able to sustain the development and support of the cloud infrastructure that powers this older generation of products," Bose says of the decision to shutter the cloud servers which power the product line, originally scheduled to take place in February this year. "In October 2025, we announced cloud support for SoundTouch products would be ending. Since then, we've heard from some owners with questions and feedback, and we've been listening carefully. Cloud support will still be ending, but we're extending the date from February 18 to May 6, 2026, to better support you during the transition."
The company's response to consumer complaints goes beyond a simple date-shift, though: while the company's prior plans were to brick the app entirely, it will now release on final software update that brings it to "a version that supports the functions that can operate locally without the cloud" — including local streaming over Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay, Spotify Connect, and a wired auxiliary input, app-based remote control, and multi-speaker groupings, but not including preset functionality on-device and in-app nor the ability to browse or stream music from the app itself.
That's certainly a better offering than the original shutdown plan, though still leaves buyers with less functionality than they had — which is why Bose has also released full specifications for the SoundTouch application programming interface (API). "We're making our technical specifications available," the company explains in the latest update to its plans, "so that independent developers can create their own SoundTouch-compatible tools and features."
More information, including a link to the API documentation, is available on the Bose website.