Airpods Pro: very bad quality in Headset mode on Windows 10

I've  had  the  same  problem. Updated to  21H2 latest  build.  There  are  no  longer  Headphone  - Headset  options, there  is  only  the  airpods, that's all. Seemed like they  fixed it. Now  I  got  a  different problem.

Whichever earphone  I  put on  first, connects first, and after a  3-5 second delay  the  other  one  connects, but  I  only  get  audio  from  the first  one  I  put  on. I  clearly  hear   both  of  them  getting connected  but  there  is  no  sound  from  the  second  one. And  mic  quality is  even  worse  than  before.  We  mostly  hear  a  tapping sound.

Microsoft  please  help.

For everyone wondering why a Macbook can function with full duplex high quality audio and Windows cant, it goes beyond just a simple codec. MacOS is providing some extra sound emulation on top of the normal "telephone quality" mode to enhance it and bring it up to par with "cellphone quality" audio. If you attempt to play music from your macbook while engaging in a zoom call on your airpods you will notice the music quality is worse than without the conference running. The most likely explanation here is that MacOS is doing some fancy audio correction to improve quality while airpods are being used in "headset" mode. Windows lacks this finesse, and simply reduces all audio quality until you switch back to "headphones" mode.

The inclusion of AAC audio should not address this, and is only a minor update meant to support the popularity of that codec in general as it is considered better than aptX for general music listening purposes. It is true that the windows audio selection menu will remove the "hands free AG" mode but this is only to reduce user confusion, not make Windows function as well with airpods as Macbook's do.

This is just one of those things where MacOS shines. If you want a handsfree headset that works well with Windows you'll have to get a gamer/conference style headset that includes an auxiliary USB dongle to handle the audio stream.

For everyone wondering why a Macbook can function with full duplex high quality audio and Windows cant, it goes beyond just a simple codec. MacOS is providing some extra sound emulation on top of the normal "telephone quality" mode to enhance it and bring it up to par with "cellphone quality" audio. If you attempt to play music from your macbook while engaging in a zoom call on your airpods you will notice the music quality is worse than without the conference running. The most likely explanation here is that MacOS is doing some fancy audio correction to improve quality while airpods are being used in "headset" mode. Windows lacks this finesse, and simply reduces all audio quality until you switch back to "headphones" mode.

The inclusion of AAC audio should not address this, and is only a minor update meant to support the popularity of that codec in general as it is considered better than aptX for general music listening purposes. It is true that the windows audio selection menu will remove the "hands free AG" mode but this is only to reduce user confusion, not make Windows function as well with airpods as Macbook's do.

This is just one of those things where MacOS shines. If you want a handsfree headset that works well with Windows you'll have to get a gamer/conference style headset that includes an auxiliary USB dongle to handle the audio stream.

@Uviuar very well explained. Luckily, there are options available that won't break the bank and work very well.

Just for information:

My AirPods Pro connected only with 8000 Hz on my Lenovo Laptop.

The microphone also connected with 8000 Hz.

The sound was so bad, that I could not use the Airpods as Headset.

Today I updated the Bluetooth driver for the laptop and then reconnected the Airpods with the Laptop.

Now I have 16000 Hz in Headset mode, both for speakers and microphone!

The quality is totally acceptable for Teams calls!

Hope this helps.