When the Bose QuietComfort Headphones are connected and show a charged battery but play nothing, the cause is nearly always the device sending the audio somewhere else, a volume setting or a paused source, and not a failed headphone. First confirm the headphones are on and connected: the voice prompt says the device name when they connect, and the Bose Music app shows the connection. Then check the source. On a phone, open the audio output selector and make sure the headphones are chosen and that the media volume, separate from the ringer volume, is up.
The checks in more detail
On a computer, open the sound settings and choose the headphones as the output; Windows and macOS often switch back to the speakers after a restart or after a monitor connects. Play something from a different app to see whether the problem belongs to one app. Volume has several layers on these headphones: the volume on the headphones, the volume on the device and, in some apps, the volume inside the app. Raise all three.
If you use two devices with multipoint, one may be playing a silent call or a paused stream and holding the audio path, so disconnect the second device. If sound plays in one ear only or stops intermittently, look at balance settings in the device's accessibility menu, which some people change by accident. If there is no sound only on calls, check the call volume and the phone's permission for the headphone's microphone. The headphones can also play audio over the cable.
If you have the cable plugged in and the headphones are off or the cable is not fully in, there may be no sound, so switch the headphones on and seat the plug firmly, or take the cable out and use Bluetooth. Try forgetting the headphones and pairing them again, and restart the headphones by holding the power button, then try another device to find out whether the headphones or the first device is at fault. Update the firmware in the Bose Music app. If the headphones are silent with several devices and the cable, they may need service, and Bose support can arrange it with the serial number.
Differential
Likely causes of “Bose QuietComfort Headphones connects but has no sound”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
Audio sent to another output
What separates it Connected but silent
How to confirm Choose the headphones as the output
- 2
A volume layer turned down
What separates it Faint or no sound
How to confirm Raise the headphone, device and app volumes
- 3
A second device holding the audio
What separates it Silence with two devices connected
How to confirm Disconnect the second device
- 4
The cable plugged in or half-seated
What separates it No sound on Bluetooth
How to confirm Seat the cable or remove it
- 5
A stale pairing
What separates it Odd behavior after a long time
How to confirm Forget and pair again
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Which device and app
- Whether it works on another device
- Whether the cable is in
- The firmware version
Try in this order
0 of 6 completedCheck the connection
ReversibleVoice prompt and app.
Choose the output
ReversibleOn the device.
Raise all volumes
ReversibleHeadphones, device and app.
Disconnect other devices
ReversibleIf using two.
Forget and pair again
ReversibleIf needed.
Update the firmware
ReversibleIn the Bose Music app.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Output
- Computers often switch outputs after a restart.
- Volume layers
- There are three: headphones, device and app.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If the headphones are silent with several devices and the cable, contact Bose with the serial number
- !Update the firmware first
- !Test another app
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
Why is there no sound from my Bose headphones?+
The audio is going to another output or a volume is down.
Does the cable matter?+
A half-seated cable can block Bluetooth sound.
Do I need to update the firmware?+
It is worth doing.
Can two devices cause it?+
One may hold the audio path.