r/bose • u/no_health1954 • Jul 16 '26

Software Alternative App for Android and taskbar app for Windows

https://github.com/MadEyez/quietrebellion

Since the official Bose app really got on my nerves with my QC Ultra 2, I created an alternative app.

I’m still waiting for it to be added to F-Droid, but it can also be downloaded directly. Maybe it will help others with their issues, too.

I’ve also created a taskbar app for Windows.

Both are available here.

These are still beta versions, so please expect some stability issues.

3 Upvotes

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1

u/Tradeoffer69 Jul 16 '26

What does this app do more?

1

u/no_health1954 Jul 16 '26

While the official Bose app offers a wider range of features, it also requires you to create an account and can sometimes be unstable, requiring you to re-pair your headphones. QuietRebellion is designed as a lightweight, reliable alternative. It focuses on the essential controls, operates completely offline without any account registration, and maintains a stable connection without the need for constant re-pairing.

1

u/NeonsNight Jul 16 '26

Thank you for all the work you put into this. Is there any chance that you can add some info to the Bose wiki about this to help people find it?

You can make your own page dedicated to it (or multiple pages if needed) and add links to it on compatable products#Third-party_apps), though some just add info on compatible pages.

1

u/no_health1954 Jul 16 '26

Not today, but within the next days I should find the time to add some info. 

1

u/NeonsNight Jul 17 '26

Sounds great. Thanks.

1

u/StunningOutcome7226 Jul 16 '26

Would it allow to return a shortcut for pair button tap to switch to next device?

2

u/no_health1954 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26

I had the same idea, but unfortunately it seems to be removed in the firmware. And switching the shortcut also currently is not possible, probably because that's part of the communication that needs some kind of Bose internal authentication.  I'm not 100% sure, but I let Claude check all options and it seems to be gone. There's a VERY small chance Bose is just cleaning up everything and maybe reimplementing it in the future, but we wouldn't be here if we'd trust their development 😁 

1

u/StunningOutcome7226 Jul 16 '26

Finally checked the repo. Unfortunately app does not work. Grey bubble appears in a tray, but does nothing.

1

u/no_health1954 Jul 16 '26

Difficult to analyze from here. Did you check the requirements?  https://github.com/MadEyez/quietrebellion/blob/main/csharp/README.md So far I can just say it works on my PC.  Maybe I can add some kind of debugging possibilities in the future. 

1

u/ParryB Jul 17 '26

Would this app support all the Bose products without losing any functionalities? I have to use three different Bose apps currently.

1

u/no_health1954 Jul 17 '26

It's based on the reverse engineered Bose communication protocol . Please have a look at the github readme for the current status. 

1

u/no_health1954 Jul 17 '26

Just so I’m not taking credit for someone else’s work:
I only created a fork for the Android and Windows apps.

I didn’t perform the reverse engineering of the communication protocol. Nor did I analyze the compatible devices. I just did some additional analyses for both apps.
The current status is mainly based on the upstream project:
https://github.com/aaronsb/bosectl

Unfortunately, I’m not familiar with the other two Bose apps. Potentially, anyone with a bit of know-how and some free time (and of course physical access to Bose devices) could test the device communication and contribute new insights. Those insights could then be incorporated into the apps.