Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) are getting a big upgrade for free

Bose has been pretty busy lately. Just hours after returning to wired earbuds with its new Noise-Canceling Wired Earbuds, the company is now giving its flagship QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) a useful upgrade. A new firmware update rolling out this week adds Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast support, although both are launching as beta features for now. This also makes the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) the first Bose headphones to support Auracast.

To give you a sense of what that means, Auracast is essentially a wireless audio technology that lets one device broadcast sound to an unlimited number of compatible Bluetooth headphones, earbuds, or other receivers nearby at the same time.

The bigger problem is that Auracast still isn’t everywhere. Brands like Samsung, Sony, Sennheiser, and JBL already support it, but adoption has been fairly slow. That’s why Bose adding support is a pretty big deal, especially if it helps bring Auracast to more people. Bose also says it plans to expand the technology to more of its devices in the future.

The update isn’t only about wireless listening, either. Bose is also improving audio over USB-C, allowing the headphones to deliver 48kHz audio while using their built-in microphone at 16kHz at the same time. So, plugging your headphones into a computer should now be more useful when you need to listen and talk at the same time. That could either be while gaming and chatting with friends, sitting through a video call, or using the headphones as a wired headset.

Overall, it’s a solid update. Auracast opens up a new way to listen to and share audio, while improved USB-C support makes the headphones more useful for gaming, calls, and everyday listening. And if you already own the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen), getting two genuinely useful new features through a software update is a pretty nice bonus.