Yes, you can control Bose QC Ultra from a Mac. macOS handles Bluetooth audio, while ANCBuddy adds listening modes, source visibility and switching, pairing control, battery status, and optional AI Auto-EQ to the menu bar.
What macOS can do natively
macOS can pair with the Bose QC Ultra as a Bluetooth audio device, route audio in and out, and expose standard Bluetooth controls. Apple documents the normal flow in Apple Support.
What the Bose phone app is still for
The Bose app remains useful for firmware updates, initial product setup, shortcuts, and settings ANCBuddy does not manage. Bose documents the app for iOS and Android in Bose Support.
Where ANCBuddy fits
ANCBuddy connects to an already-paired QC Ultra over Bluetooth and gives you:
- Quiet, Aware, and Immersion switching
- Still and Motion inside Immersion on compatible headphones
- active, connected, and remembered audio-source visibility
- switching to a remembered source and Bose pairing control
- battery and connection status
- optional AI Auto-EQ, Launch at Login, and update checks
How to manage Bose QC Ultra audio sources from your Mac
- Open ANCBuddy from the Mac menu bar.
- Expand Audio Sources.
- Find the device marked as the Active Source.
- Check Also Connected for another device that remains linked.
- Choose a device under the remembered or paired-device list to switch to it.
- Select Pair New Device… when you want the Bose QC Ultra to enter pairing mode. You can cancel pairing from ANCBuddy as well.
- If Bose control works but this Mac is not using the Bose audio output, follow the recovery offered by ANCBuddy. It reconnects and selects the Bose output when macOS exposes it; otherwise, open Bluetooth Settings from the recovery action.
The focused version of this workflow, with a real v2.2.0 screenshot, is in the audio-source switching guide.
Source terms in plain English
- Remembered: saved in the Bose QC Ultra source list, but not necessarily connected now.
- Connected: currently linked to the headphones or earbuds.
- Active Source: the connected device currently streaming audio.
- Multipoint: the Bose feature that can keep more than one source connected. ANCBuddy shows source states but does not advertise a Multipoint on/off toggle.
Supported Macs and devices
ANCBuddy supports macOS 12 Monterey and newer on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. Supported Bose hardware is listed on the Bose QC Ultra Mac app page.
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