Can't connect Bose QC 35 II headphones inWindows 10

pwabrahams · 12 Mar 2022

I'm running Windows 10 and I'm trying to connect my Bose QC 35 headphones. I go into Device Manager / Bluetooth and Other Devices/Add a Device. It shows two devices: Bose QC II and LE-Bose QCII. Whichever one I choose, I get the message "Connecting ..." but no connection is made. Meanwhile, the headphones are giving me the spoken message "Ready to Connect", followed eventually by "mobile device not found".

If I go to "Devices and Printers", I get the opportunity to add a device. The Bose QCII shows up, but if I select it the system attempts to install it and soon gives up.

Under "More Bluetooth Settings" I can choose "Allow Bluetooth devices to find this PC", but this choice does not change anything.

How can I connect my headphones?

Try3 · 12 Mar 2022

You connect Bluetooth devices for the first time [known as "pairing"] using
Settings,
Devices,
Bluetooth & other devices.
I think that's what you meant, not Device manager.
- An 'Other devices ' section can sometimes be seen in Device manager but it's not a good thing.

So you were doing it the right way.

Have the headphones ever been connected to the computer?

I suspect that you will have to remove all references to them because incomplete pairing has been reported by others as preventing repeat attempts
- Settings, Bluetooth & other devices and, if there is an entry for the headphones on that page [i.e. not going through the Add Bluetooth procedure], select it then click on Remove device.
and
- go to Devices & printers then, if it's still there, right-click on the headphones icon and select Remove device.

Some people have had to go even further to clean out unsuccessful pairing attempts. See
xzions link to Bluetooth command line tools - TenForums

"Bose QC II and LE-Bose QCII"
Doesn't Bose tell you which you should choose?
If it's not in the instructions then try
- their website
- an online seller's product page for them to see if the product description or any user reviews tell you what to do.

Have you paired the headphones to anything else?
- If so I suggest removing them from there until the problem has been resolved.
- Whilst some devices are designed to be able to remain paired with multiple other devices, Windows can still be awkward.

- - When I was testing a new set of earphones a few weeks ago, I paired with both my computer and my phone.
- - Both worked with it in isolation and at the same time [I heard both of them mixed together in the earphones].
- - When I later tried using them with Windows they would not connect and would not re-pair until I'd un-paired them from the phone.

Best of luck,
Denis

pwabrahams · 12 Mar 2022

Try3 said:

You connect Bluetooth devices for the first time [known as "pairing"] using
Settings,
Bluetooth & other devices.
I think that's what you meant, not Device manager.

I got to "Bluetooth and other devices" via Device Manager.

Have the headphones ever been connected to the computer?

Interesting you should ask that. At one time the headphones, correctly identified, showed up on the list of Bluetooth devices, but they disappeared and have not reappeared. As I recall, when they were there they were indicated as "paired", but I still couldn't connect to them.

I suspect that you will have to remove all references to them because incomplete pairing has been reported by others as preventing repeat attempts

As far as I know there are no references to them now. But I don't what might be lurking somewhere.

"Bose QC II and LE-Bose QCII"
Doesn't Bose tell you which you should choose?

I don't know if LE-Bose QC II even exists. There's no reference I can find to that variant on the Bose website or anywhere else. It appears to be an artifact.

Have you paired the headphones to anything else?
- If so I suggest removing them from there until the problem has been resolved.

I'm running a dual-boot system with Kubuntu 21.10, and I had the headphones working perfectly there, including of course the pairing. Unfortunately the Kubuntu system is sick right now, for reasons unrelated to Bluetooth.

There are many reports online about the problem of using these headphones under Windows 10, but none of them were helpful. As you probably know, doing a Google search on a problem like this is often not productive, because most of the hits are either people who have the same problem and haven't solved it, or people who've solved it in different environments.

Try3 · 12 Mar 2022

Yes, general internet searches can eat a lot of time without yielding any progress.

I cannot know if the Kubuntu pairing is what is hindering Windows pairing but I would certainly un-pair it as part of my investigation.
I'd never noticed it in any other devices before but my new earphones have a full reset / factory reset procedure that I also used when trying to resolve my recent problem. Do your Bose ones have such a facility? Perhaps it could help you despite your current Kubuntu problems.

That thread with xzion's link to Bluetooth command line tools certainly got a lot of praise. There are explanations of the different tools on their website. Perhaps those tools will help you ensure that you've cleared out all the debris [as many others clearly did].
- I have evidently been lucky in never needing to use them.

You'll see the limitations in my expertise in Can't remove paired bluetooth devices - TenForums but perhaps some of the other posts are useful for you. It's a very recent thread so you might usefully post a request for assistance there. I suggest something like, "I cannot connect my Bose headphones. I've been asking for help in another thread but I've reached a dead-end. Please would you take a look to see if you can help - Can't connect Bose QC 35 II headphones - TenForums"

Can you contact Bose support?

Our brief discussion has exhausted my experience of & knowledge of resolving Bluetooth problems but don't give up. Other people with more experience of Bluetooth problems might notice your problem on Monday and chip in with advice.

Best of luck,
Denis

Try3 · 12 Mar 2022

pwabrahams said:

I got to "Bluetooth and other devices" via Device Manager.

I~~t's a peripheral issue but do you remember how?~~
Device manager, click anywhere in the lists of devices part of the window, Action menu, Devices & printers.

Denis

retexan599 · 14 Mar 2022

Just an FYI - I recently bought Bose QC45 headphones. After being unsuccessful yesterday, today I was able to successfully pair/connect to my Windows 10 desktop Bluetooth. The advice above about first removing previous attempts and deleting relevant entries from Device Manager seemed to be the keys.

After turning on the headphones, I went to Settings| Bluetooth & other devices| Add Bluetooth or another device. Also had pressed the headphone on/off button to the far right. Eventually it connected.

Can't connect Bose QC 35 II headphones inWindows 10-image.png

This is what Device Manager shows at present:

Hope that is helpful.

pwabrahams · 15 Mar 2022

I agree that clearing out the residue of previous attempts to connect Bluetooth devices has a good chance of doing that, but how can I do that when they don't even show up in Device Manager - though they do show up in "Add a device"?

One clue is that when I go to Devices and Printers and then to "Choose a device or printer to add to this PC", both the headphones and the mouse show up in the list. In fct they show up twice. The mouse shows up a BT 5.2 and also as BT 3.0; the headphones show up as "Bose QC 35 II" and "LE-Bose QC 35 II". But when I select any of them, I get the unrevealing message "That didn't work". That is more evidence of a residue not being cleared out. But what surgery will excise these ghost devices? And what is going on with those double recognitions?

- - - Updated - - -

Is there any way of seeing what ghost devices and pairings are being stored? This is probably a worthwhile topic all by itself.

- - - Updated - - -

Looking at an old thread I unearthed from a search, I have a possible explanation of this behavior. It certainly is due to a bug, and that bug probably has to do with the Registry. That explanation certainly fits the symptoms.

- - - Updated - - -

I suspect that all of this odd behavior with Bluetooth can be traced back to inconsistencies between the Registry and physical reality. I'm starting a new discussion on this general subject. The problem of out-of-date pairings definitely seems like a Registry problem.

Try3 · 15 Mar 2022

pwabrahams said:

... when I go to Devices and Printers and then to "Choose a device or printer to add to this PC" ...

The normal way of doing that is to use Settings, Devices, Bluetooth & other devices, Add Bluetooth or other device.
Never having tried your way, I have no idea if it makes any difference or not.

pwabrahams said:

... agree that clearing out the residue of previous attempts to connect Bluetooth devices has a good chance of doing that, but how can I do that ...

pwabrahams said:

... what surgery will excise these ghost devices? ...

By using those Bluetooth command line tools that so many people raved about in xzion's thread.

Try3 said:

Some people have had to go even further to clean out unsuccessful pairing attempts. See
xzions link to Bluetooth command line tools - TenForums

You could also [not instead] go to Device manager, set it show hidden devices [which would mean disconnected ones get listed] then right-click on any reference to your headphones in the Sound section & select Uninstall device [and you could check the Bluetooth section as well].

Can't connect Bose QC 35 II headphones inWindows 10-device-mgr-show-hidden-devices.png

Can't connect Bose QC 35 II headphones inWindows 10-device-mgr-uninstall-device.png

pwabrahams said:

... bug probably has to do with the Registry. ...

The name of my own earphones appears 49 times in the Registry. I don't think this line of enquiry is going to lead to success.
You can search your Registry for Bose using NirSoft RegScanner

I still think you should unpair them from your Kubuntu or see if there is a 'factory reset' procedure for your headphones that will achieve the same end.

Best of luck,
Denis

pwabrahams · 15 Mar 2022

ways

- - - Updated - - -

I discovered that if I go to Bluetooth and other devices/Add Bluetooth or other device, the menu on the right has an entry for Devices and Printers. That menu also has a choice for Add a device. When I try to install a device via that route, I get the message "That didn't work". Looking at Hidden Devices doesn't reveal the ghost pairings. That's what led me to believe that the problem must be addressed a a lower level, such as manipulating the Registry, and why I created that other thread.

Try3 · 15 Mar 2022

What if you stay within Settings when trying to add them? How does that behave?

Device manager would not reveal anything about pairings, merely the existence of the device drivers.

If you are still getting nowhere then I really think you need to try those Bluetooth command line tools. If you're unsure about using unknown third-party utilities then take a look at the other posts in that xzion thread, they were raving about them. Perhaps the author of those utilities is alone in understanding the structure of the Bluetooth-pairing-related Registry entries.

Thanks for the rep,
Best of luck,
Denis

Can't connect Bose QC 35 II headphones inWindows 10

Can't connect Bose QC 35 II headphones inWindows 10

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The ghosts of devices past