- SoundTouch speakers will lose cloud services in May 2026
- Bose has published an API for third-party app developers
- Spotify Connect and AirPlay will continue to work
Bose’s SoundTouch speakers are certainly old in technological terms: they were introduced in 2013, and after a successful 13-year run, Bose decided to turn off cloud services: “we can no longer sustain the development and support of the cloud infrastructure that powers this previous generation of products.”
Instead of “locking” existing customers’ speakers, which is what tends to happen when the cloud goes down, Bose has provided extensive information on how to continue using them with Bluetooth and AirPlay, and they’ve published an API so third-party app developers can add SoundTouch features to their apps.
Just take a look at the Bose SoundTouch 20 above. Now imagine it obsolete and unviable. Isn’t it great that if you bought one of these wireless multi-room speakers (for around $399 / £350 / AU$549, at least at the time of their release) that doesn’t have to happen?
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As Bose explains, the speakers will still work perfectly, so standalone SoundTouch speakers with Bluetooth and auxiliary connections will still work, and home theater products will still connect via HDMI or optical connections. Features like SoundTouch streaming will disappear, but “AirPlay and Spotify Connect should still work.”
Bose is giving customers a lot of notice here. It first announced the closure of the server in October 2025, and in this new January update it delayed the changes until May 2026. Thereafter, the application will be updated “to a version that supports key features without relying on the cloud.”
What does that mean in practice? Bose says:
“With this version of the app, you will be able to control any system that is on the same Wi-Fi network as your phone. You will still be able to install, configure, remotely control and group systems through the app. Searching for music services and launching content from the SoundTouch app will no longer work. Instead, you will be able to download your favorite music service apps (TuneIn, Pandora, etc.) and send audio to SoundTouch systems via AirPlay, Bluetooth or AUX. If you are a Spotify user, Stream content to your SoundTouch system using Spotify Connect from the Spotify app.”
I’m really impressed by this. All technology should probably come with a memento mori to remind you that connected services won’t be around forever, but it’s the way shutdowns and recommended upgrades are handled that sends a message to customers; So, for example, Sonos upset a lot of people in 2019 when it initially required customers to “lock in” their existing speakers to qualify for an upgrade discount, and Spotify’s complete shutdown of Car Thing in 2024 also ruffled some feathers.
As I wrote at the time, “be very careful when purchasing devices tied to a single service or proprietary platform. As Car Thing demonstrates, some devices are here for a good time, not a long time.” But what Bose says is the opposite.
What Bose is doing here is not just sending a message to current SoundTouch owners. You’re sending a broader message about your values to potential smart speaker buyers. And that’s actually very smart.
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