Windows 11 | No Hands free mode for bluetooth earphones

Anonymous
2021-11-04T05:17:20+00:00

Hi,

So, yesterday I upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11 and everything seemed to be working fine until I connected my bluetooth earphones.

When you connect your bluetooth earphones you expect to see two output devices, Headset (music) and Hands-Free mode (voice) but I can only see the Headset mode.

I checked the earphone properties from the Device Manager and I can see "Hands-Free telephony" in the Services tab but in the Output Devices, the hands-free mode is not visible at all.

I've tried everything from re-connecting to reinstalling drivers but nothing seems to be working.

This is preventing from attending any Meetings on apps like Google Meet or Microsoft Teams.

Any help would be much appreciated!

Regards,

Kartikey

Windows for home | Windows 11 | 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.

0 comments

82 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2021-11-09T04:05:45+00:00

    This is NOT an issue to be resolved by the manufacturer of the bluetooth headphones. I have 3 different models of bluetooth headphones from 3 different manufacturers. ALL of them have this issue where there is NO hands free option and in Teams if you don't select the same bluetooth device for Speaker and Microphone you get NO sound and you can't hear the person on the other end. Kinda sucks to have an expensive Yeti microphone and I can't use it.

    I am a sysadmin that is trying to resolve this issue for more than just myself. I have 2 identical Lenovo P15 laptops, one running Windows 10 21H1 and one running Windows 11 21H2. All my bluetooth headphones work perfectly with Windows 10 but NOT with Windows 11. I have fought bluetooth issues with Windows 11 since the beginning of testing the very earliest beta version. Updating and rolling back bluetooth drivers does not work. Uninstalling and letting the driver get reinstalled does not work. This is a Windows 11 problem between bluetooth and sound and Teams.

    Was this answer helpful?

    60+ people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2021-11-04T13:34:10+00:00

    Hi,

    Got some interesting information when I listed down all the PnP devices using Powershell.

    It seems my Hands-Free mode is detected but is in Unknown state.

    Thanks,

    Kartikey

    Was this answer helpful?

    20+ people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2022-04-26T18:53:17+00:00

    Following up to my earlier post. This is an issue that Microsoft MUST address. This only happens with bluetooth headphones or earbuds when trying to use an alternate microphone. You CANNOT choose an external microphone such as a Blue Yeti or a microphone on a webcam when using bluetooth headphones or earbuds. You will not be able to hear the parties you are talking to in Teams. It worked perfectly in Windows 10 mixing and matching microphones and speakers/headphones. Unfortunately I can't go back to Windows 10 as a CIO of the company I work for. I have to continue testing Windows 11 and so far I am not allowing any of my users to upgrade. This is NOT a small issue Microsoft. Get off your duffs and fix it.

    Was this answer helpful?

    10+ people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2021-11-04T07:32:04+00:00

    Hi RottweilerX,

    I agree with you that bluetooth is a completely different technology than Windows.

    The reason I posted this here is that the bluetooth modes were working fine on Windows 10.

    As soon as I upgraded to Windows 11 on the same laptop the Headset (for video-conferencing) mode is no longer visible.

    I'm using the same earphones and the same laptop, the only thing that changed was upgrading to Windows 11.

    This makes me believe that the issue is due to Windows 11 OR I need to do something else to get this working in Windows 11 which apparently I cannot find anywhere online.

    Thanks,

    Kartikey

    Was this answer helpful?

    10+ people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  5. Anonymous
    2021-11-18T12:54:05+00:00

    Hi Kartikey and Geocacher62,

    I am facing exactly the same issue after moving to Win 11. I have tried three headsets: Sony WH-100XM3, Valco VMK20 and August EP650.

    Windows 10:
    All headsets were visible as "normal" headphones and as a second device called "hands-free". These "hands-free" devices are used by conferencing tools Teams.
    The "normal" headphones are switched off when a (Teams) call is initiated.

    Windows 11:
    Only one device per headset is displayed, only the "normal" one. This device cannot be used by Teams etc.

    And again: This is not an issue of a (Bluetooth) headset manufacturer!

    If any of you has a solution for this annoying issue, please post here!

    Cheers,
    Stefan

    Was this answer helpful?

    10+ people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments