Urgent Problem: Windows 10 2004 update is forcing Bluetooth radio power save and breaking unpaired Bluetooth communication

Question

I was referred to this forum by the Developer Center Support at the Microsoft Partner Center. We’ve developed a WPF desktop application that utilizes Windows 10 API's to perform unpaired Bluetooth LE device communication (as described here: https://channel9.msdn.com/Events/Build/2017/P4178) with custom engineered devices. It has been in production for over a year and maintains reliable Bluetooth connections provided the clients disable the power save option on the Power Management tab of their Bluetooth radio in Device Manager. However, clients that have updated to Windows 10 2004 are now experiencing severe Bluetooth connection failures because the power save mode for their Bluetooth radio has apparently been forced on while the radio's Power Management tab has been removed from Device Manager. Furthermore, there is no apparent way to configure this power management option on new installations.
I have seen numerous similar complaints on the web from end-users whose Bluetooth devices no longer function after applying the Windows 10 2004 feature update. Examples: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-10-ent-update-feature-2004-bluetooth/5da2bc9f-6147-4e32-a8b8-561ba4da4dea?page=4, https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-10-missing-bluetooth-power-management-tab/62e63e7d-9954-4898-b2a3-44fed70421c5?page=1. While some have been able to mitigate the problem by controlling the Power Management on either the individual Bluetooth device or the USB root hub/controller it is connected to, as opposed to the Bluetooth radio itself, this is not an option for our clients since the Bluetooth connectivity is being performed without pairing using an integrated radio.
Is there an alternative way to disable power save on the Bluetooth radio? Or, is there any plan by Microsoft to reverse this Windows update change to power management? This is an urgent problem…

Answer 1

I hope this will help you all sort it out: https://www.reddit.com/r/bootcamp/comments/h9skhy/bootcamp_windows_10_2004_bluetooth_fix/

In my case I needed to update the Broadcom Serial Bus Driver over UART Bus Enumerator from 12.0.1.873 to 12.0.1.874

TLDR: I've tried many solutions before I came to this driver version and finally I have my keyboard (which is an Apple BT Magic Keyboard) and mouse (which is an MX Master S2 from Logitech) working on my Windows (which is running in bootcamp on my MBP 2017 and will probably install on my MBP 2020 as well since I found this fix for BT).
Since the update to Win 10 2004 I constantly tried to fix the BT but w/o success and I was so frustrated looking at the hardware I cannot use... :-/

Hey Microsoft, please, next time when you release an update, test it thoroughly!
Since I'm a software test engineer myself, I know what I'm saying :)

Answer 2

I have the same problem with my magic keyboard.
It cannot be connected anymore.
Can you please, Microsoft, show us another way around?

Answer 3

Hi
Before going further, I would appreciate your help in clarifying the following situations:
What models are these machines?

Please try these methods to see if the issue would still remain:
Method 1: Update your Bluetooth drivers:

1. Open Device Manager, then right-click (or press and hold) the one you’d like to update.
2. Select Search automatically for updated driver software.
3. Select Update Driver.

Method 2: Get update KB4568831
In the listed known issues of 2004, there is
Difficulty connecting to more than one Bluetooth device
And this was solved by KB4568831.
Please note that this update requires Servicing Stack Update KB4566785 to install.

Methods 3: change registry to make power management tab reappear as a workaround.

1. Open Registry Editor as administrator and go to
2. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power
3. Change CsEnabled value to 0
   If it's not created yet, you could create a new DWORD key named CsEnabled and set the value to 0.
   Please note that this affects Modern Standby thus increases battery power consumption.
   You could check out this thread: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/all/power-management-tab-is-missing-from-device/0a3c563a-5ec7-4809-9609-4bc257444590?page=2

I hope this information above can help you.

Answer 4

Hi DaleKudusi-MSFT

Thank you for your reply.

I am using Boot Camp on Mac book pro 16", and after the 2004 update my Magic keyboard 2 after 5 seconds stops working.
I did all your recommendations but still.
Also “update for windows KB4568831 is already installed on this computer.”
In Device Manager/ Bluetooth/ Bluetooth Radio properties, there is not Power Management.
Also
In Settings/ Devices and Printers/ Magic keyboard/ properties, there is not Power Management.

I believe these parameters are crucial for the magic keyboard.

Best regards

Answer 5

DaleKudusi-MSFT, thank you for responding.

In response to your question regarding the model of the machines:

Most of our clients have purchased an OEM system built with an AMI motherboard and an integrated bluetooth radio (Serial HCI Bus) that, per Device Manager, uses Microsoft driver version 10.0.19041.423 and is connected to a Realtek Bluetooth UART Bus Driver. However, the problem is not limited to these systems. All our internal development stations, including a Microsoft Surface Book with a Marvell AVASTAR Bluetooth Radio Adapter, have lost the Power Management tab on the Bluetooth Radio/Adapter after installing the Windows 2004 update. This is also the case with any Bluetooth USB Dongle installed. That's not to say that Power Management is gone entirely; it is still visible on USB root hubs and other devices.

Regarding Method 1:
When checking for updated drivers, Windows reports that the best drivers for the device are already installed.

Regarding Method 2:
KB4568831 and KB4566785 are already installed with no improvement.

Regarding Method 3:
Disabling Connected Standby by adding the CsEnabled registry value has no effect.

As stated earlier, the Power Management tab appears for some devices, but not the Bluetooth Radio which is critical for our operation. If I run the following Powershell command on machines that have NOT applied the Windows 2004 update, I see the Bluetooth Radio listed among many devices, along with its Power Save status:

Get-CimInstance -ClassName MSPower_DeviceEnable -Namespace root\wmi

However, running the same command on a nearly identical system that has applied the 2004 udpate, no longer lists the Bluetooth Radio adapter.

Please advise.