Lull · Guides · Battery

How to check QC35 II battery on a Mac

The Bose app shows the battery level on your phone, but on a Mac you're mostly left guessing. Here's what you can check.

1. The Bluetooth menu in macOS

Open Control Center, or System Settings, Bluetooth. macOS shows a battery level next to headphones that report one to it. Reporting is optional for Bluetooth headphones, so if there's no percentage next to your QC35 there, the headphones aren't sharing it with macOS.

2. The voice prompt when you switch them on

Each time you power on the QC35 II, a voice prompt tells you the battery level, and the battery indicator light shows the charge for about ten seconds. It's reliable, but only at that moment. If you've turned voice prompts off in the Bose app, you won't hear it.

3. A battery ring in the menu bar

Lull reads the battery level straight from the headphones and keeps it in the menu bar as a ring and a percentage:

• green above 30%, orange at 30% or below, red at 15% or below;
• a notification at 15% and another at 5%, once each until you charge;
• the level refreshes every time you open the popover.

Why the level disappears while charging

The QC35 II switches Bluetooth off while it charges, so neither macOS nor any app can read it until you unplug it and switch it back on.