App reliability

Owners find the Bose control app for the SoundLink Max stable and easy to navigate, providing core functions like volume, source and straightforward three-band EQ in a clean interface, though it lacks more advanced EQ presets and deeper customization some rivals include.

Reviewers describe the Tribit companion app as clean and user friendly, offering reliable EQ controls, presets, and firmware updates that work smoothly without connection issues.

The Flex 2 integrates with the Bose Music app, and reviewers describe the app as polished, reliable and straightforward, centralizing EQ, multipoint setup, tips and shortcut customization, though some note its feature set is fairly barebones beyond these basics.

The JBL Portable app is widely regarded as intuitive and reliable for controlling the Charge 6, offering clear access to EQ presets, custom tuning and features like Playtime Boost and Auracast, though at least one review notes that it could benefit from a deeper feature set.

Recent reviews call the updated KEF Connect app a big improvement, noting that it feels stable, intuitive and quick to respond for many users, providing easy access to streaming services, inputs and EQ settings without frequent glitches or crashes, while some owners now describe it as clunky or nearly unusable and choose to avoid it in favor of hardware controls or external streamers.

Reviews describe the Sonos app as central to the Move 2 experience and generally reliable, making setup, streaming and multi-room control quick and easy, but some still find it cluttered, Sonos-Radio-centric and note quirks like buried options and imperfect search, particularly for certain Apple Music playlists.

Experiences with the ThinQ app are clearly split: some reviewers appreciate quicker access to radio, music services, customization tools and Auracast along with a cleaner, easier to use interface than the older Xboom app, while others still describe the platform as bloated and intrusive, requiring extensive permissions and occasionally feeling more complex than a simple Bluetooth control app needs to be.