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Bose Sound Docks are no longer compatible with Apple iPhones or iPods?

When plugging my iPhone 4S or 5, or my iPod 3rd Gen or 7th Gen into my Bose Sound Dock, I recieve a message that reads, "This iPhone/iPod is not compatible with this accessory" and will not play stored music.

Background Info:

- The Bose Sound Dock was designed to support Apple products.

- All software/OS on the Apple products is current as of Dec 2013.

- The Bose product doesn't have update-able software associated with it.

- Clearly, something has changed with the Apple products.

What can be done to fix this so that iPhones and iPods will play again on Bose products?


I've unplugged/replugged the Bose Sound Dock, and I've powered down and powered up the Apple products expecting that something would reset, but these steps have proved to be ineffective and nothing has changed.

iPhone 4S, iOS 7.0.4, Also applies to iPhone 5, iPod 3rd

Posted on Dec 2, 2013 9:55 AM

Reply
63 replies

Jul 1, 2014 9:21 PM in response to natnol

That's interesting natnol. Has anyone tried it yet? I have the same issue as everyone else here; I have an ipod touch 4g and after updating it late last year, it isn't recognised at all on our portable Bose dock at all. My parter has the same ipod but he didn't update his (luckily) and his still works perfectly. I'm working away at the moment but will try this when I get home and let you all know. Apple keeps prompting me to do an update but I've been dubious in case it cause more issues but I'm willing to try it now if it fixes this docking issue. It is very frustrating and has put me right off Apple!

Jul 14, 2014 5:18 AM in response to JAG2014

I have just been given a Bose SoundDock ii as a birthday present, and my iphone 4 will charge, but not play. Only once did I even manage to get a message up saying it was not compatible. It plays fine through headphones. I have tried cleaning, updating the latest itunes, tilting it forwards and backwards and resetting the phone - but not a hard reset. So I have a present I cannot use as it is meant to be used!


Apple - are you looking into this problem that so many people are experiencing?

Aug 1, 2014 5:38 AM in response to JAG2014

same here. just updated iphone4s to 7.1.2 and all of a sudden, it stopped working on the bose sounddock1. for the 5 years, the phone hasn't charged, but it still played fine on the dock. wife still has 7.1.1 and it still works fine. figured out, as others had mentioned, that tilting it forward on the dock just a bit would allow it to work. i thought it was just that the connections (female adapter) on my phone were getting old, but nope, it was the update. and last night, it fried my phone. very unhappy now as i don't want to get another 4s and a 2 year contract. it'll be obsolete in a year. the 5 is too big, and $200 is a waste with the 6 coming out in a couple months. so sick and tired of all the iOS updates changing all my settings, slowing down the phone, and making it obsolete. seriously looking at a hardware alternative now.

Oct 22, 2014 10:22 PM in response to davudfromma

Hi one and all. I see a lot of you had problems with 4th gen updates or fourth gen devices on the Bose docking station. I don't have a fix but I do have an answer. It was not just Bose that had the issue it was all third party docks. Anyone who bought a docking station that was apple certified but not apples own brand found fourh gen updates or hardware were not supported. I quite hacked of myself about this has I had not long bought my docking station. I got round it though. I bought a special dock adaptor made by Scosche called the passport and it some how allowes the device to charge and play. It cost £39 at the time and was worth it not to have to ditch my dock. This going back a few years now and I don't know if these adaptors are still available. Hope this helps or solve current issues.

Nov 17, 2014 6:29 AM in response to JAG2014

i just upgraded to an iPhone 6 and now my phone will not connect via bluetooth to my bose speaker. please advise. I'm not sure how to even upgrade the speaker.... i have never connected it to a computer and am not sure where those cords would be, but would this help? i keep trying to sync my phone to latest iTunes upgrades but nothing has helped. would sure love apple to stop upgrading everything every few days. it has gotten completely out of control. nothing works anymore.

Jan 20, 2015 10:02 AM in response to CazMacC

CasMacC, I chose your post to reply to even though it's rather old now because of one line in particular, the one that makes reference to "suggested the repair would also as an update 'charge' the iPod."


There seem to be multiple issues in this thread as a whole.


1) Devices that are no longer supported by the Bose Dock.

2) Devices that play but won't charge.

3) Devices that will sometimes work if manipulated in a certain way.


I've just had some experience with option 2.


A Bose SoundDock (I think it's a version 1) came in for repair with mechanical damage to the connector. Fortunately the damage was to the outside of the socket, not the contacts, and I was able to straighten it up and now it holds the iPod snugly and the iPod plays. But not for long! To cut a very long story short, I eventually realised the dock was not charging the iPod, an Apple MC688.


The store I'm doing this job for had an abandoned Sounddock repair sitting in their storeroom. I used this to check the iPod and it played AND charged the iPod. Same model dock, same model iPod - in fact exact same iPod. So what changed?


Well, I opened the unit that had been repaired by Bose (2 years ago) and it has a completely reworked 'control' module inside it. This module houses amongst other things, the regulators and 'charge' circuitry. I went a step further and recorded all the voltages on the 24 conductor flat-foil cable linking the module and the PCB holding the iPod. Whilst some of the voltages are identical - in value and pin sequence, others are not! For example pins 24, 23, 22, and 21 are all grounded in version 1. Version 2 sees pin 21 carrying 3.3v. Software cannot do this! Only a hardware change. I also happened to have a control module from a scrap unit, identical in every way to the non-charging unit. It's voltages mirrored the other non-charging unit pin for pin. Now it's possible that both units 'failed' in exactly the same way but, well..., it's less likely.


All this to say it rather looks like iPod 'technology' changed at some point and in the case of the Bose Sounddock, changes were made to support the new 'configuration', for want of a better word.


What can we learn from this? There isn't too much you can do about the hardware side of things. If someone is kind enough to give you an iPod as a present there's always a chance new stuff won't work with old. But firmware....if it works, leave it alone! I've only ever done one OS update on my iPad and it lost a whole chunk of functionality as a result of it. Yes, the buttons do look nicer but I'd rather have full functionality.

Bose Sound Docks are no longer compatible with Apple iPhones or iPods?

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