Forum Discussion
Surface Earbuds and Headphones 2 Cause Issue with Teams and Skype
Lately, I've been experiencing some issues with both the Surface Earbuds and the Surface Headphone 2.
Both work perfectly fine on my Surface Duo (listening to music with Spotify or with the Teams and Skype mobile apps)... and they work fine on my PC (Surface Pro 7+) when just listening to music.
The issue appears to be specific to the Surface Earbuds Hands-Free AG Audio device (as it's listed in Teams and Skype). Likewise with the headphones.
Since the issue is identical, I'll just focus on the earbuds from here on out.
Microsoft Teams
If the earbuds are in my ears and paired & connected to my PC, and then I launch Teams with the earbuds already connected, I immediately notice that my webcam is disabled and I have no audio input/output device set. If I try to go into Settings > Devices in Teams to select devices to use... it shows no devices listed (see attached screenshot) and Teams locks up until I put the earbuds back in their case and they disconnect. The moment I do that, Teams returns to normal functionality and sees the Surface webcam, microphone, speakers, etc.
If I start Teams first and then connect the earbuds afterwards, the Settings > Devices menu doesn't lock up. It shows the devices listed as you would expect. However, I'm unable to make a Teams call or join a Teams meeting. I hear it ring/dial repeatedly (audio coming out of the earbuds), but I never join the call. Teams basically locks up. The moment I take out the earbuds and put them back into the case (and they disconnect) a pop-up is displayed saying The person you're trying to reach isn't available. Try again later. And I can confirm from the person I was trying to chat with that they never received the call.
If I click the Make a test call button, nothing happens and Teams locks up until I put the earbuds back in the case and they disconnect. Then Teams connects to the test call.
Skype (Consumer Skype, not Skype for Business)
If I have the earbuds in my ear, paired and connected, and then launch Skype... it never fully launches. I see Skype logo and spinning progress circle. The app is locked up and does nothing until I put the earbuds back in their case and they disconnect. Literally, the moment I do that... Skype finishes launching.
If I already have Skype open and then take the earbuds out of the case in an attempt to use them, Skype quickly becomes unresponsive. Sometimes I can get into the Audio & Video settings, but it only lists the build in microphone array and speakers. By the time I get that far though, it locks the webcam (making it permantly on), and the Skype UI starts to become unresponsive. The moment I put the earbuds back in the case? Yep. Skype runs properly again.
What I've tried so far...
- Disconnecting (unpairing) the earbuds (and headphones) from the Surface Audio app and then repairing. Problem persists.
- Factory resetting the earbuds from the Surface Audio app. No change.
- Removing every device in Device Manager with Surface Earbuds in the name under Bluetooth.
- Unpairing the earbuds, completely uninstalling and then reinstalling the Surface Audio app from the Microsoft Store.
Short of uninstalling and reinstalling Skype and Teams, I've tried everything.
Any onese else encountering these issues? I'd hate to have to factory reset my Surface Pro 7+ just to fix bluetooth audio.
- AnonymousJul 02, 2021
After hoping a handful of Windows Updates over the past few months might fix the issue, the problem continued. Until... that is... I upgraded to Windows 11 via the Windows Insider Dev Channel.
It totally fixed all issues with both the Surface Earbuds and headphones.
Interestingly enough, they just show up in Teams now as Surface Earbuds. That whole Surface Earbuds Hands-Free AG Audio device listing is gone.
1 Reply
- Anonymous
After hoping a handful of Windows Updates over the past few months might fix the issue, the problem continued. Until... that is... I upgraded to Windows 11 via the Windows Insider Dev Channel.
It totally fixed all issues with both the Surface Earbuds and headphones.
Interestingly enough, they just show up in Teams now as Surface Earbuds. That whole Surface Earbuds Hands-Free AG Audio device listing is gone.