Windows 10: No audio from bluetooth headset or speaker unless testing mic

I have had this problem for some time. Running the troubleshooter helped for about a second then it reverted to no sound. Realised it only worked when doing some kind of test with your mic. The audio becomes awful though, any help would be appreciated. Im on Windows 11 btw.

:)

 

Computer Won't Use Headphone Mic

Are you using a wired or wireless connection?

If you are using Bluetooth you will find there is a gotcha when using a headset with a microphone. With Bluetooth 4.x there is not enough bandwidth for both the headset's stereo speakers and the microphone at the same time. If the headset's speakers are used in mono mode then the microphone will work. Here is the information from my computer:
I I left-click on speaker icon on taskbar tray I see my options for the speakers:

• Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio) = Laptops built-in speakers
• Headphones (Arctis 3 Bluetooth Stereo) = Headphones stereo mode
• Headphones (Arctis 3 Bluetooth Hands-Free AG Audio) = Headphones mono mode

I found out that if I select "Headphones (Arctis 3 Bluetooth Hands-Free AG Audio)" the headset microphone will work.




However, I found that next time the computer might choose "Headphones (Arctis 3 Bluetooth Stereo)". Then the headset speakers will work but the the headset microphone will not work.

To ensure that the right selection is always done automatically I have to go further and set the default to "Headphones (Arctis 3 Bluetooth Hands-Free AG Audio)".
Note I can always override this at any time. To do this...
I right-click on speaker icon on taskbar tray and left-click on Sounds




The first tab Playback is for the speakers

• Headset = Headphones mono mode
• Headphones = Headphones stereo mode
• Speakers = Laptops built-in speakers

The second tab Recording is for the microphone

• Headset = Headset's microphone
• Microphone Array = Laptop's built-in microphone
• Stereo Mix = N/A

To ensure that both the headset speakers and microphone work at the same time I set the default playback to Headset. This will put the headset in mono mode and allow the microphone to work. Note that if I disconnect the headset the computer will automatically revert back to using the built-in speakers and microphone.

 

Bluetooth speaker with mic - mic not working when connected on Win10

Hi all,



We have bought a speaker for our office to use in conferences.

The bluetooth speaker has a microphone, and works fine (both mic and speaker) when connected to a smartphone.



The problem appears when we connect it to a laptop. Although it appears in the bluetooth settings menu with as a Headset with a headset icon, and when connected it shows: "Connected voice, music", the microphone
of the speaker doesn't work.



In the Sound Settings, the speaker is selected both in Output and Input, but when testing, no sound is recorded, even though the speaker works (you can hear sound through it).

• All bluetooth drivers have been reinstalled and are up to date

• We have run the Troubleshoot unsuccessfully, getting the following response: “Troubleshooting couldn’t identify the problem”.

Under Device properties > Properties > Details > Device Description is listed as
Bluetooth Hands-Free.



Is there anything else we can do at this point? This has been tested on 2 computers.



Is this an issue with Windows 10 and Bluetooth speakers with microphones?



Many thanks for any help!

 

Telegram Desktop audio using Speakers and not Headset

Hi all, I use both Skype and Telegram for voice calls. With Skype it works fine, the app's audio setting is set to the Plantronics headset while Windows Sound setting is set to the Windows speakers/mic, and when I place/receive Skype calls the audio/mic comes out thru my Plantronics headset. In Telegram, even if the app's audio setting is set to Plantronics, the audio/mic comes out thru the laptop's speakers/mic, forcing me to set the Windows Sound setting to Plantronics Default each time I want to place/receive a call. Any idea why this is happening? Maybe it's a Telegram bug. I'm using Telegram Desktop latest version 3.5.1. I'm attaching a screenshot of Skype, Telegram and Windows sound settings as explained above.