Bluetooth audio stuttering and lagging

Question

This issue has persisted for 5 months now. I am unable to use bluetooth headphones with my Dell XPS 15 9550 because audio and video is constantly interrupted with static. I am able to properly connect and pair my device to the laptop but for example youtube videos lag down and stutter almost like .5x speed. There is a constant interference and so the audio ends up choppy in songs or videos. I have done all troubleshooting with the headphones and audio and bluetooth settings. My Bose QC 35s also are able to connect and function with any other device except my laptop. I suspect it had something to do with a windows update I did over the summer but i am not sure

Answer 1

I have the same issue on a Dell Inspiron 7460. It started after the last Windows 10 update in November, Windows 10 version 20H2.  And my headphones are Sony WH-1000XM4.

The headphones always worked very well, now it stuttering and don't stop, becoming terrible to listen to anything. 

The suggestions made here did not work. 

I found a solution on the web, if you would like to try, but this fix disable the option to use the headphones as headset:

"Press the Windows key and start typing "control panel" to find the icon to open the Control Panel. (As of the time of writing, Windows 10 does not have a way to change this setting via the new 'Settings' interface.)

1. Find 'Devices and Printers' and double-click it.
2. Find your paired headphones. The icon may not look like your headphones, but hopefully you should be able to find it.
3. Right-click the icon and select 'Properties'.
4. Select the 'Services' tab at the top.
5. Under 'Bluetooth Services', if 'Hands-free Telephony' is checked, uncheck it.
6. Click OK.

The audio may cut out as it saves the new settings (you may need to adjust your volumes in the Volume Mixer)"

For me is working fine after I made this change. Hope you find a solution.

Answer 2

This is 100% a Microsoft problem and has been for YEARS! Just fix it already Microsoft! This happens to me on both my Windows 10 desktop and laptop! I even bought a new USB bluetooth dongle, and yes, you've guessed it, still the same problems! 

I also decided to make my desktop computer dual boot with Ubuntu and Windows 10. Guess what!? Bluetooth audio works fine in Ubuntu, on the same hardware!

Microsoft FIX IT! It's been YEARS!

Answer 3

I have had the same problem. None of the other suggestions have worked for me either. I've kinda fixed it, well it's working 100% now,

So, while it's stuttering, I right-click the Microsoft speaker icon on the bottom right of the screen and select 'Open Sound Settings'. After a couple of seconds, everything is fine, but I have to keep the Sound settings screen open. But once I click the main screen, the Sound setting screen goes behind out of sight, and everything remains OK. It's a slight pain having to do this every time - but hey, at least it works.

Hopefully, this will work for others and that Microsoft will find a fix in the near future.

Answer 4

I have just developed this problem as of the Windows 10, version 2004 update. None of the solutions you offered corrected the problem of stuttering audio on a bluetooth headset. Do you have any alternate solutions to a problem that seems to have been caused by Microsoft?

Thank you

Answer 5

Same issue, Dell XPS laptop, after windows 10 20H2 update. I need to teach online, but can't use a headphone anymore. Terrible.