Bose SoundTouch Speakers Face Functionality Loss as Support Ends in 2026
By Rachel Kim, World-Today-News.com – november 2, 2023
Bose SoundTouch smart speakers, first released in 2013, are poised to lose key functionality as Bose prepares to discontinue support for the platform on February 18, 2026. the move will effectively strip the speakers of their smart features, including connectivity to online streaming services and multi-speaker playback controlled via the SoundTouch mobile app.
Owners will be left with limited options: utilizing Bluetooth connectivity or relying on physical input connections like auxiliary audio jacks or HDMI ports, if available on their specific model. This impacts a range of SoundTouch products, including higher-end home theater systems like the SoundTouch 520.
Bose officially announced the end-of-life plan on their website (https://www.bose.com/soundtouch-end-of-life), prompting concern among users about the longevity of “smart” devices and the potential for manufacturers to remotely disable features.
Interestingly, the SoundTouch system’s underlying architecture has been known to the hardware hacking community for years. A 2014 Hackaday report (https://hackaday.com/2014/09/30/finding-a-shell-in-a-bose-soundtouch/) detailed a method for gaining root shell access to the Linux operating system powering the original SoundTouch speakers. This involved utilizing Telnet access on port 17,000 and a specific command sequence - remote_services on – followed by logging in as “root” with no password. Recent comments on the Hackaday post suggest this method remains viable for certain SoundTouch devices.
The impending support termination highlights a growing concern for consumers: the potential for features in connected devices to be revoked after purchase. Though, it also presents an chance for the hardware hacking community, ensuring a steady stream of “obsolete” devices ripe for revitalization and continued use.
