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Windows 11 Unable to hear sound from AirPods when mic is in use.

Anonymous
2022-06-24T02:03:48+00:00

Hey, so I'm having some issues getting both sound output and mic input to work at the same time with AirPods 2nd Gen on Windows 11.

Does anyone have any clue about what's going on or how to resolve this issue so that I can use both at the same time?

Some examples of this issue are when I'm watching a video online and open OBS (because I pass through my camera through OBS) which uses my microphone, which ends up removing the audio output to my AirPods, and enabled my microphone to work.

Another example would be just using Zoom. Same situation, I'm watching a video in a browser, open Zoom, join a meeting which then enables my AirPods microphones to work, but then disables the audio output (aka, I can't hear anything from the Zoom call, or the video that's still playing).

Long story short: Is there any way that I can get both the microphones of an AirPods and the audio output to work at the same time on Windows 11?

I updated from Windows 10 to Windows 11 in hopes of AirPods support getting better (which seemed like one of the things that was focused on), but I still can't use microphone and audio output together.

Please correct me if I'm doing something wrong myself.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Devices and drivers

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  1. Anonymous
    2022-06-24T02:54:24+00:00

    No, not to be rude, but nothing is going to fix it. It's the cold hard truth as I sit here trying to figure it out for the past hour.

    Solution: https://www.reddit.com/r/sony/comments/fqf71z/wh1000xm3_can_only_use_stereo_or_handsfree_but/

    TDLR: you can't. Get a dedicated mic, and use that for audio input, and then use the A2DP mode (Stereo mode) for audio output.

    Seems really dumb, but there's nothing else unless you want bad sounding audio, at which point, just disable Stereo mode completely which is another thing because I can't figure out how to get back to HSP mode as Windows 11 "just works" and unifies the two Bluetooth profiles.

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  2. Anonymous
    2022-06-24T03:16:37+00:00

    Yes, that would work, except I prefer to have higher quality audio coming from the AirPods and just use a plain old built-in laptop microphone than use the AirPods' microphone while listening to (honestly) pretty bad sounding audio.

    There have been tons of people before me complaining about the same thing, so either Microsoft implements some way for all audio to get immediately redirected to the HSP output device from A2DP so that when you're using a mic, you don't need to go figure out where the rest of your audio went, or you completely disable the telephony feature so that the mic is just completely disabled, and then you'll use an external/dedicated microphone.

    Currently, MS hasn't implemented that, so dedicated mic it is.

    Another solution for others: just use a wired headset. Not optimal, but if it has a good mic, it'll work better than a janky setup.

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  3. Anonymous
    2022-06-24T03:21:29+00:00

    Jason -

    If you want to discuss this limitation with Microsoft you may be able to help improve this product/experience by using the Feedback Hub in Start Menu. While they will probably not see this here in the forums, Microsoft developers DO read feedback from customers that comes in via the Feedback Hub, so that is a great way to share your thoughts on how to better serve you as a customer.

    If you want to post back a Share link to your feedback, others who find this thread can vote it up or add to it, and I will try to escalate it.

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  4. Anonymous
    2022-06-24T03:05:44+00:00

    Another advisor here says "The audio only works on the Headset audio device when using the microphone. If it is in the Stereo audio device the audio cuts when the microphone is requested. Works the same for almost all Bluetooth headsets""

    I would at least make a stab at trying to fix them with those limited steps I found and also whatever other enthusiasts have to say in the Earpods forum. No need to give up so soon.

    Let me know if I can help further. I'll stay subscribed to this thread in case you need anything else, until the system locks it in a few months.

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  5. Anonymous
    2022-06-24T02:45:37+00:00

    Hi Jason. I'm Greg, 10 years awarded Windows MVP, here to help you.

    Try these fixes for Airpods:

    https://nerdschalk.com/16-ways-to-fix-airpods-a...

    https://windowsreport.com/windows-11-airpods-mi...

    (Avoid ad links which intrude into editorial copy, especially avoid Restoro, PC Repair Tool and Reimage ads)

    https://www.technipages.com/fix-airpods-microph...

    If none of those help then I'd ask in the Apple Airpods forum here:

    https://discussions.apple.com/community/iphone/...

    Feel free to ask back any questions. Based on the results you post back I may have other suggestions if necessary.

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