Solved! 2017 MacBook Pro 15" will not connect to Bose Bluetooth speaker or headphones

[Thunderclutch]

When I try to pair my Bose Soundlink Mini II (firmware version - latest - 1.1.4) or Bose AE II Soundlink headphones with a 15" MacBook Pro Early 2017 they connect briefly and then disconnect.

They pair perfectly and work flawlessly with my iPhone7, another iPhone7, my iPad Air3, and my 13" MacBook Pro (early 2015) and a Mac mini (2018). All the Macs are running Mojave 10.14.6 with latest updates.

The 15" MacBook Pro (also Mojave 10.14.6) happily pairs with two other Sony Bluetooth speakers.

I have reset the speaker; reset PRAM and SMC on the MacBook Pro, checked for Bose software updates ... in short everything recommend by Bose on their support forums, but still no cigar.

On the Bose forums this is an amazingly common issue, sometimes resolved by updating firmware, but as noted mine is latest.

I have tried all the steps listed here https://mackeeper.com/blog/post/491-3-steps-to-solve-bluetooth-wireless-problems-on-mac/which includes deleting com.apple.Bluetooth.plist.
also this step, suggested by Bose, defaults write com.apple.BluetoothAudioAgent "Apple Bitpool Min (editable)" 48 found here
https/community.bose.com/t5/Portable-Archive/Bose-SoundLink-MacBook-Pro-bluetooth-connection-probl...

Nothing works. Anyone else had this issue and solved it? Any suggestions welcome!

 

[Thunderclutch]

I found the solution myself. You need to download Apple Additional Tools, extract and run the Bluetooth Explorer and <Reset audio defaults>. This allowed both devices to pair, remain connected and work!

I got the clue via this page showing how to get BT devices to connect using APTX/AAC, if they are compatible: https://9to5mac.com/2018/08/31/mac-how-to-force-aptx-aac-on-your-supported-bluetooth-headphones/

Link to latest additional tools package at time of posting: Additional Tools for Xcode 11.4.dmg

NOTE that the Bose Soundlink Mini II speakers and AE2 Soundlink headphones, DO NOT support AAC or APTX. A number of posts to their forums ask this question and some mods claim that AAC is supported. It is not. Indeed someone spotted a post relating to AE2 on Amazon.com in which a Bose representatives states they do not. Although the BT Explorer did not show APTX being forced in the GUI, there must have been some setting causing this issue.