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

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-03-08T03:18:38+00:00

    I have disabled the Bluetooth audio gateway service from the services to fix my issue. Only stereo connects now. Make sure to delete the headphones from the bluetooth and pair them again! Hope this helps!

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-01-20T20:10:42+00:00

    Hello Kartikey,

    I had the exact same issue as you described. I use Teams a lot for work and have a custom setup (Headphones for Output, Separate Mic for Input).

    After around 2 hours of searching, I found a temporary solution! https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/report-an-issue/bluetooth-devices-have-less-audio-options-bad-audio-quality-win/m-p/2831911 

    Hope that helps.

    Best wishes

    Jamie

    hi mate, I'm having this problem with a user at my company but I cannot access the link you mentioned. Do you mind sharing the steps or instructions? Thanks.

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-01-05T17:37:38+00:00

    Hay everyone,

    I faced the same issue after upgrade windows 10 to windows11 on my desktop.

    Temporary fixed solution:

    I just used my old bluetooth dongle to replace the new one, then the problem was fixed.

    And I notice that windows 11 still don't separate my bluetooth device(Beats Flex ) into two devices( stereo headset & hands-free), but my headset works fine finally in Teams conference.

    PS. I also have a laptop(Surface pro 5). I force it to upgrade to windows 11(Microsoft do not allow officially).

    This Windows 11 separate my bluetooth headset into two devices ( stereo headset & hands-free) in this kind enviroment. It's weird.

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  4. Anonymous
    2022-12-27T15:47:19+00:00

    Same issue for me. One headset and one headphones with hands free option (Galaxy Buds Live by Samsung) were working perfectly on Windows 10 (but I didn't have mentioned updated which merges two sound devices into one) but doesn't work on Windows 11 (22H2). Tried all the solutions listed in this thread but non of them work.

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  5. Anonymous
    2022-12-20T14:31:25+00:00

    SAME PROBLEM

    -- Bluetooth headset not detected by Windows 11 as "Headset"

    -- All headset devices only detected as "Headphones"

    -- I have to select the webcam microphone when using Zoom

    -- All of my headsets work fine on my old laptop with Windows 10 and on my Android 10 phone

    MORE DETAILS

    -- Gigabyte AERO 17 XE5 - 2022 Laptop

    -- Windows 11 Pro x64 - Preinstalled

    -- Intel i7-12700H

    -- Intel Wireless BT Driver - 22.180.0.2

    -- Headphones not listed in the "Recording" tap in "Sound" panel

    HEADPHONE MODELS

    -- Sony WH-1000XM5

    -- Jabra Elite Active 75t

    -- Sony WH-H900N

    I've searched for a solution and tried everything that I could find. I've updated all of the drivers, updated the device firmware, ran the troubleshooter, and inspected the device details and settings. Nothing is working to resolve this problem.

    Seems like a Windows issue to me. It's frustrating to see that this has been going on for over a year without a proper resolution from Microsoft.

    If anyone finds a solution or can help with this, it would be much appreciated. Thanks!

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