AirPods Pro 2 Microphone Not Working on PC

Hi,

My condition was the following:

First pair (after reset) with windows works also if I disable/enable bluetooth to simulate disconnect/connect.

Then when I put the airphones in the case it stops working.

If I delete the bluetooth device and re-pair, it still does not work so there is somekind of state somewhere.

If I pair it with another windows it works for the first pair as well...

Encoraged by the two reports that got this working... I finally found that the root cause was probably newer Intel bluetooth driver.

However, even with this configuration of the working bluetooth, the sequence in which this is working is not deterministic, I have done this dozen times it works for some and does not work for other. I kept one that is working, and I am hoping it will last.

For the record, my current setup:

AirPods Pro 2 model A2698 firmware 5E135

Windows 11 business version 10.0.22621.1702

At device manager:

Audio input and outputs
Headphones (AirPod Pro - Find My) - Microsoft - 2022-05-06 - 10.0.22621.1
Headset (AirPods Pro - Find My Hands-Free) - Microsoft - 2022-05-06 - 10.0.22621.1
Headset (AirPods Pro - Find My) - Microsoft - 2022-05-06 - 10.0.22621.1

Bluetooth
AirPods Pro - 2006-06-21 - 10.0.22621.1702
AirPods Pro - Find My Avcp Transport - Microsoft - 2022-05-06 - 10.0.22621.1
AirPods Pro - Find My Avcp Transport - Microsoft - 2022-05-06 - 10.0.22621.1
Intel(R) Wireless Bluetooth(R) -
Not Working: Intel Cooperation - 2023-04-18 - 22.220.1.1
Working: Intel Cooperation - 2023-02-08 - 22.210.0.3
Working: Intel Corporation - 2022-05-30 - 22.150.0.6

It wil be nice if we reach to a deterministic sequence with latest drivers.

Thanks,
Alon

I have been doing some testing and even did a Hard Reset. They still will not work with my Windows 11, where they do work with Windows 10.

I also notice that Windows 10 installs the Headphone and Headset version but Windows 11 only installs the Headphone version.

And I forgot I renamed my AirPods which is why I was showing the Pro 2 version.

So far I've not had any luck in getting my Airpod Pro 2's to work properly with the microphone.

If I start clean, remove all devices on Windows, reboot, hard reset the airpods and then connect, then when I use Sound Recorder it does work and I see a waveform. After the pods go back in the case, they always connect but there's no microphone data coming to the app. It doesn't matter which app I use within Windows.

Media playback is no problem at all.

I've checked all of the Microphone settings and they're all showing as connected and at 100%

I don't have the problem at all with my Airpod 2's.. those work consistently.

It appears they both use the same drivers within Windows.

I already contacted Apple. Their view is basically this is a Windows problem. They did sit with me for an hour trying different things. they concluded it was likely a driver issue - and then point me to Microsoft.

I get them to work only in one specific scenario: When I reset/clear everything AND do a hard reset on the Airpod Pro 2's. Only then do I get one session where the Mic works. If I delete them on the PC but do not hard reset - it still doesn't work after reconnecting again.

The drivers in play here are owned by Microsoft, so Microsoft really need to drive and debug this for everyone as Apple will not.

Versions:

• Windows 11, 22H2,22621.2134. Windows Update shows everything is up to date.
• Drivers: 10.0.22621.1 (6/5/2022), Provider: Microsoft
• Laptop is a Lenovo P15s and Vantage shows all drivers up to date.
• I saw mention in the thread about an Intel Bluetooth driver, but I'm not seeing that on my PC

From what I can see, the drivers all show the device as connected properly, which means that at least connectivity is okay.

I think whats missing is that when the airpods send data through the microphone channel, something somewhere is dropping that.

Right now I can't really use the Airpods for work calls.. I have to switch back to my older ones.

Hi @Alon Bar-Lev1 and everyone,

It's great to see progress being made.

Concerning the issue where the microphone doesn't work in Windows after returned to the case, I tested to see if I had the same problem. It appears my 2nd Generation AirPods Pro operates correctly even after following the process you mentioned. My model number and firmware, like yours, are A2698 and 5E135 respectively.

As I'm not deeply versed in tech, I can't help you much, but there is one thing it might help you somehow.

When I uninstalled my AirPods-related devices in Device Manager, I found only two AirPod-related devices. If I recall correctly, they were named "Headphones (AirPods Pro - Find My)" and "Headphones (AirPods Pro - Find My Hands-Free)." However, after following the process I described earlier, there are now three devices: "Headphones (AirPods Pro - Find My)," "Headset (AirPods Pro - Find My)," and "Headset (AirPods Pro - Find My Hands-Free)."

I believe we need more examples, so please, if anyone has regained their microphone functionality after following my guidance, mark this post as helpful to increase its visibility and please answer this question: Does your microphone still work after putting them back into the case and reconnecting them to the PC?

Thank you,

Nhat Lieu

Hello! I once faced a similar problem as yours and figured out a solution which I’m eager to share with you.

The Problem:

I encountered an issue with my newly purchased 2nd Generation AirPods Pro (hereafter referred to as ‘AirPods’) connecting to the microphone of my Surface Laptop4.

The Scenario:

The AirPods functioned well as both input and output devices with my iPhone 13 Pro and iPad, but only worked for output audio on the laptop. Although the AirPods appeared in the Input device list in the Speaker and Microphone settings on my laptop, the test resulted in 0% Total Audio (post-resolution, it returns approximately 80%). My 1st generation AirPods Pro and my brother’s AirPods Pro connected with both valid input and output functionality.

The Solution:

1. I navigated to the Device Manager, then to Audio Inputs and Outputs, and uninstalled all AirPods-related devices/properties.
2. I performed a hard reset on the AirPods, a process that’s straightforward and easily found via a Google search.
3. I reconnected the AirPods to my phone and the laptop.

By following the above steps, I managed to get the microphone of my 2nd Generation AirPods Pro to work on my PC.

I hope you find this information useful. Enjoy your day!

Thank you so much Nhat.

I was having a lot of trouble making phone calls etc. and I tried everything. This is the only solve that worked