You don't have to use their app for day-to-day usage via Bluetooth, however, they make it impossible to initially setup noise canceling functionality without the app.
I'm extremely grateful that the Bluetooth protocol is broken up into specific functions, so I know that if I connect my headphones/car/etc. via bt audio it can't also send data to the cloud through my phone.
And now we’ve got folks discussing “Using Web Bluetooth to communicate with Bluetooth devices” [2, 3].
[0] https://www.wired.com/story/bluetooth-complex-security-risk/ [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19956512 [2] https://www.balena.io/blog/using-web-bluetooth-to-communicat... [3] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21332283
See also https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/11/26/bose_firmware_borks...
Christmas shopping is coming and I sitting on the fence regarding new headphones, but I'm really unlikely to buy Bose now.
Apparently the app uploads every single thing it can get access to, and you have to install the app even to (!) turn noise canceling on and off.
