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hubie [soylentnews.org] writes:

If companies insist on bricking gadgets, this is a better way to do it [arstechnica.com]:

Bose released the Application Programming Interface (API) documentation for its SoundTouch speakers today, putting a silver lining around the impending end-of-life (EoL) of the expensive home theater devices.

In October, Bose announced that its SoundTouch Wi-Fi speakers and soundbars [arstechnica.com] would become dumb speakers on February 18. At the time, Bose said that the speakers would only work if a device was connected via AUX, HDMI, or Bluetooth (which has higher latency than Wi-Fi).

After that date, the speakers would stop receiving security and software updates and lose cloud connectivity and their companion app, the Framingham, Massachusetts-based company said. Without the app, users would no longer be able to integrate the device with music services, such as Spotify, have multiple SoundTouch devices play the same audio simultaneously, or use or edit saved presets.

The announcement frustrated [reddit.com] some of Bose's long-time customers [reddit.com], some of whom own multiple SoundTouch devices that still function properly. Many questioned companies' [arstechnica.com] increasingly [arstechnica.com] common [arstechnica.com] practice [arstechnica.com] of bricking [arstechnica.com] expensive [arstechnica.com] products [arstechnica.com] to focus on new devices or to minimize costs, or because they've gone through acquisitions or bankruptcy [arstechnica.com]. SoundTouch speakers released in 2013 and 2015 with prices ranging from $399 to $1,500.

Today, Bose had better news. In an email [bose.com] to customers, Bose announced that AirPlay and Spotify Connect will still work with SoundTouch speakers after EoL, expanding the wireless capabilities that people will still be able to access.

Additionally, SoundTouch devices that support AirPlay 2 can play the same audio simultaneously.

The SoundTouch app will also live on, albeit stripped of some functionality.

"On May 6, 2026, the app will update to a version that supports the functions that can operate locally without the cloud. No action will be required on your part. Opening the app will apply the update automatically," Bose said.

Bose also provided instructions [bosecreative.com] for a workaround for saving presets that uses the favorites options in music service apps.

[...] There are SoundTouch owners who will remain inconvenienced when Bose discontinues the devices in May. Despite the changes announced today, Bose is still killing some popular functionality on speakers that would work perfectly fine otherwise.

[...] Open-sourcing devices so that people who have already invested in them can continue enjoying them and striving to maintain as much device functionality as possible is the least that smart device makers can do before discontinuing customers' beloved devices.

Original Submission