diff --git a/docs/content/blog/2026-05-welcome.md b/docs/content/blog/2026-05-welcome.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c6dea18 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/content/blog/2026-05-welcome.md @@ -0,0 +1,120 @@ +--- +title: "Welcome to AfterTouch: Your SoundTouch Speakers, Still Alive" +date: 2026-05-24 +description: "Bose shut down SoundTouch cloud services in May 2026. AfterTouch replaces everything your speakers relied on — migration, radio, Spotify, presets, and more." +tags: + - migration + - web + - spotify + - cli +sidebar: + exclude: true +--- + +On May 6, 2026, Bose shut down the SoundTouch cloud services that millions of speakers +depended on for account sync, presets, internet radio, and streaming. Speakers kept +working locally, but remote features stopped and first-time setup became impossible. + +AfterTouch was built to change that. It is a self-hosted replacement for the Bose +cloud infrastructure — a drop-in local service that your speakers talk to instead of +`streaming.bose.com`. This post covers what works today and how to get started. + +## What works right now + +### Migration and first-time setup + +If your speaker was registered with Bose before the shutdown, AfterTouch can **migrate +your existing account and presets** in a single step — no reconfiguration on the +speaker side. If you are setting up a factory-reset or brand-new speaker, AfterTouch +handles that path too, guiding you through Wi-Fi pairing and account creation locally. +See the [Migration Guide](/docs/guides/MIGRATION-GUIDE/) for step-by-step instructions. + +### Internet radio — TuneIn and RadioBrowser + +Both **TuneIn** and **RadioBrowser** are fully supported for browsing and playback. +Navigate categories and search for stations exactly as you did with the original Bose +app. TuneIn delivers the same station catalogue; RadioBrowser provides an open, +community-maintained alternative. + +### Spotify + +**Spotify** works via both OAuth (account linking) and Spotify Connect (the ZeroConf +"connect to device" flow from the Spotify app). Once linked, playback and device +selection behave the same as before. + +### Presets + +Your six preset buttons work. AfterTouch stores preset bindings locally and serves them +back to the speaker on request. You can also **save new presets** — via the API, +via `soundtouch-cli`, or through the soundtouch-web UI. + +### ST-10 stereo pairing + +**SoundTouch 10 stereo pairs** (and other ST pairing configurations) are supported +end-to-end: creation, management, and playback routing all go through AfterTouch. + +### soundtouch-web — browser UI + +**soundtouch-web** is an early-stage but functional browser UI bundled with AfterTouch. +It gives you: + +- TuneIn and RadioBrowser browsing and playback +- Speaker management and device discovery +- Recent tracks panel +- Multi-room zone management + +It runs as part of the AfterTouch service — no separate install needed. + +![soundtouch-web UI showing Spotify playback, presets, sources, and zone management](/images/blog/soundtouch-web-ui.png) + +### Automation with soundtouch-cli + +The **`soundtouch-cli`** command-line tool covers every speaker control: play, pause, +volume, source selection, preset recall, group management, migration, and more. +It is well-suited for home-automation scripts, cron jobs, and shell one-liners. + +## Three ways to install + +AfterTouch runs on any machine your speakers can reach: + +1. **On the speaker itself** — install directly on supported SoundTouch hardware via + the on-device installer. The speaker hosts its own replacement cloud, with no + additional hardware required. + +2. **On a local network host** — run AfterTouch on any machine on your LAN. A + **Raspberry Pi Zero 2W** handles the load without breaking a sweat, making this + path remarkably low-cost and low-power. + +3. **On a cloud or VPS host** — deploy to a remote server for access outside your + home network. AfterTouch handles TLS certificate generation and DNS configuration + for this scenario. + +All three paths are documented in the [Deployment guides](/docs/guides/). + +## Current release + +**v0.93.1** — released May 24, 2026 + +## Community + +AfterTouch would not be where it is without the people who opened issues, tested +pre-release builds, reported edge cases, and contributed code. A significant share of +the fixes and features shipped in the lead-up to the cloud shutdown were driven by +real-world feedback from the community — from migration quirks to stereo-pair +specifics to Spotify Connect timing issues. Thank you to everyone who helped. + +If you run into something or have an idea, the +[GitHub issue tracker](https://github.com/gesellix/Bose-SoundTouch/issues) and +[Discussions](https://github.com/gesellix/Bose-SoundTouch/discussions) are the +right places to start. + +## What's next + +The soundtouch-web UI will gain richer preset management — browsing, editing, and +reordering presets directly from the browser. Longer term, merging +`soundtouch-service` and `soundtouch-web` into a single binary is on the table, +which would simplify deployment to a single process with no extra flags. + +This blog will be updated monthly — or whenever something significant ships. +Subscribe to the [GitHub releases](https://github.com/gesellix/Bose-SoundTouch/releases) +for individual version notes. diff --git a/docs/static/images/blog/soundtouch-web-ui.png b/docs/static/images/blog/soundtouch-web-ui.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5a47e67 Binary files /dev/null and b/docs/static/images/blog/soundtouch-web-ui.png differ