According to this post it should be fixed already in Insiders Build (currently Dev Channel only).
Airpods Pro: very bad quality in Headset mode on Windows 10
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(128, 8%, 22%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EA%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Anonymous
Dear all,
I've got my new Airpods Pro, they work well with my iPhone.
Also on Windows 10 via bluetooth, sound quality is good when using the "Airpods stereo" mode.
However, in the headset mode ("Airpods Hands-Free AG Audio") sound and especially microphone quality is extremely bad. I tried to change the default format (see screenshot, it's only 8000Hz), but I cannot change it as it's grey. Any advice to get a better microphone quality?
Windows for home | Windows 10 | Devices and drivers
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
147 additional answers
Sort by: Newest
-
Anonymous
2021-06-03T19:24:57+00:00 The next version of Windows, which will be announced in a couple weeks, should finally fix this The next big Windows 10 update improves Bluetooth audio with AAC support - The Verge
-
Anonymous
2021-05-22T05:29:55+00:00 I installed Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 21370 in the Dev Channel, but my Airpod Pro's sound quality does not improve in the headset mode.
Then I rollbacked the windows version as the Dev Channel is unstable. -
Anonymous
2021-05-20T22:41:54+00:00 https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/29/22410088/microsoft-windows-10-bluetooth-aac-support-update This could be interesting.
"Microsoft’s next big Windows 10 update for later this year will include some important audio improvements. The OS will finally get support for Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) over Bluetooth, which will give Windows users even more choice for Bluetooth headphones and speakers. "
Update: Post above mine already mentioned this (21H2update).
-
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(259.20000000000005, 65%, 35%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EJ%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
JosephT71 9,220 Reputation points2021-05-14T18:27:58+00:00 BUT if Android and Apple are able to find a workaround, why cant Microsoft, for years? Thats ridiculous.
No "workaround" exists because this is a MONEY issue.
Qualcomm invented the aptX codec and they threw it in for cheap if the phone manufacturers buys their Qualcomm chipset. And if you buy a pair of wireless headphone with aptX codec then you are all good to go. Of course, if you buy a pair of Apple AirPods then that wouldn't help.
Apple paid AAC codec on both their computers and their iphones. Apple got the AAC codecs for cheap because Apple iTunes music store is huge.
The way it supposed to work is Dell buys a bluetooth chipset from Intel and Dell decides whether to pay for the extra fancy codecs. But since no pc manufacturer ever paid for AAC codec and Microsoft kept on hearing complaints about it --- Microsoft has decided to pay for the AAC codec themselves (for 21H2).
It is the same as people complaining for 6 years on why Windows 10 doesn't have 5.1 optical out. It's a MONEY issue.
People always talked about their Realtek audio chipset supports 5.1 or 7.1, but do they read the last sentence. If your motherboard manufacturer or your PC manufacturer didn't pay for Dolby Digital, then you don't have Dolby Digital and you won't have 5.1 optical out. Nothing to do with Microsoft.
https://www.realtek.com/en/products/computer-peripheral-ics/item/alc892