Direct answer
What you need to know
When SoundTick cannot find a SoundTouch speaker, first confirm that the phone and speaker are on the same private Wi-Fi, local-network permission is enabled, and VPN or guest-network isolation is not separating them. Retry automatic discovery, then add the speaker using its current local IP address.
Start with the four checks that resolve most discovery failures.
Confirm the same private Wi-Fi
The phone and speaker must be reachable on the same trusted local network. Guest networks often prevent devices from seeing one another.
Allow local-network access
Open the phone's privacy or app settings and confirm SoundTick can find and communicate with devices on the local network.
Remove temporary network barriers
Temporarily disable a VPN, private relay, guest isolation or mobile-data switching while testing discovery.
Keep the speaker awake and connected
Confirm the speaker is powered on and still visible in your router or the updated Bose SoundTouch app before rescanning.
Retry automatic discovery before entering an address.
Open SoundTick and run Auto Scan while the app remains in the foreground. A first scan can fail when the local-network permission prompt has only just been accepted, so retry once after permission is confirmed.
Automatic discovery depends on local multicast traffic. Some routers, mesh systems and managed networks restrict that traffic even when ordinary internet access works.
Use the speaker's current local IP address when scanning is blocked.
Find the current address
Check the router's connected-device list or the speaker information shown by the official Bose SoundTouch app.
Choose Add manually
Enter only the current private IP address shown for that speaker. Do not use a public internet address or router password.
Prevent the address changing
If manual discovery works but later fails, consider a DHCP reservation in the router so the speaker keeps the same local address.
Manual discovery does not bypass compatibility.
It only supplies an address when automatic discovery traffic is unavailable. The speaker must still expose compatible local controls.
Collect useful evidence if the speaker is still missing.
- Phone platform and operating-system version
- SoundTouch model and current firmware when available
- Whether the speaker appears in the router and official app
- Whether Auto Scan or manual IP was attempted
- Whether a VPN, guest Wi-Fi, mesh isolation or managed network is present
- A user-created SoundTick diagnostic report, reviewed before sharing
Sources and boundaries
Evidence used for this guidance.
Product instructions describe SoundTick's intended behavior. External claims are linked to their primary source. Actual compatibility still depends on the speaker, firmware, phone permissions and network being tested.
Related guidance