My Soundcore Q20i is using Hands-free audio whenever I use its microphone

Question

My wireless headphones sounds great and have a good microphone but unfortunately when ever I use said microphone the darned "Hands-free" mode turns on and turns MY audio into a 1950s radio. I am using W11 Pro and have seen others have the same issue:

• I tried using the generic Bluetooth adapter (it just completely bricked using Bluetooth at all)
• I tried deactivating the Hands free telephony in Control Panel\Hardware and Sound\Devices and Printers and changing the property (Just killed the audio both ways)
• I tried disabling the Hands-free headphone in device manager (Disabled microphone)
• Playback solution doesn't work (Disables microphone)

I have no idea what to do. When I forget the headphones and re connect them hands-free mode disables for a bit but turns back on after the first instance of using the microphone (Genuinely turning the microphone off and then back on again in any software would cause the hands-free mode to turn back on) so that's not a permanent solution. Every solution I find online either here, youtube or reddit just seems to disable the headphones completely or disable the microphone. On my old windows 10 laptop this was not an issue until after 3-6 months of using the headphones after a windows update seemed to break it.

Using the headphones for output and another device for input doesn't trigger Hands-free mode but my current situation requires me to use the headphones microphone. I just cannot stand the terrible audio though which is why I am so desperate for a solution.

Answer 1

Hello.

this is known as limitation with Bluetooth technology, so there’s no solution.

unlike wired headset, Bluetooth headset has set bandwidth shared by input and output. So when input is in use it has to compromise the audio quality for output in order to allow bandwidth for input. It’s by design.

Answer 2

When using Bluetooth headphones like the Soundcore Q20i, the issue you're experiencing with the audio quality degrading to a hands-free mode is common due to the way Windows handles Bluetooth audio profiles. In Windows 11, if an application accesses the microphone, the system switches to the Hands-Free Profile (HFP), which operates in mono and can significantly lower audio quality compared to the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP), which supports higher quality stereo audio.

Here are some points to consider:

• Profile Switching: Windows automatically switches to HFP when the microphone is used. If you're using applications that require microphone input, this will trigger the switch regardless of the audio output settings.
• Endpoint Behavior: In Windows 11, if your audio device supports HFP, a single output and input endpoint are created. This means that when the microphone is active, the system prioritizes the hands-free mode, which is likely causing the audio quality issues you're experiencing.
• Resampling: When the microphone is in use, Windows may resample audio to match the HFP endpoint, which can further degrade the audio experience.

Unfortunately, there are limited options to prevent this automatic switching without using a different input device for the microphone. You might consider using a separate microphone while keeping your headphones for audio output, as you've noted that this setup avoids the hands-free mode issue.

If you continue to experience problems, checking for any updates for your Bluetooth drivers or Windows itself may help, as improvements and fixes are often included in updates.

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References:

• Hands-Free Profile
• Selection of A2DP and HFP endpoints
• Bluetooth Classic Audio behaviors