Audio during call not working on Bose QC35 II

[TomGeerts]

I have been successfully using my Bose QC35 II wireless headphones for a couple of years with MS Teams and all of a sudden, it has stopped working properly...

When in a call, people can hear me (through the Bose's mic), but I can't hear them. I have already tried disconnecting and reconnecting my headphones and a lot of configuration options in Windows and Teams, but haven't found the solution yet.

I have also tried to disable the "Handsfree Telephony" service in the bluetooth device menu (which I found here). When this setting is disabled, I do get audio in the test call, but then my mic isn't selectable in Teams, so that's also not a solution.

Can someone please help?

Windows specifications:

• Edition Windows 10 Enterprise
• Version 22H2
• Installed on ‎03/‎10/‎2022
• OS build 19045.2728
• Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.4190.0

Teams version: 1.6.00.6754 (64-bit). It was last updated on 04/04/2023.

[#2 · Accepted solution]

It sounds like you've already tried some troubleshooting steps, so here are some additional things you can try to resolve the issue with your Bose QC35 II headphones not working properly with Microsoft Teams:

1. Update your headphones firmware: Make sure your Bose headphones are running the latest firmware version. To do this, download and install the Bose Connect app on your smartphone or computer. Connect your headphones to the app and check if there are any available updates.

2. Check your audio device settings: In Microsoft Teams, click on your profile picture and select "Settings". In the "Devices" tab, make sure that your headphones are selected as both the "Speaker" and "Microphone". Also, check the audio device settings in Windows by right-clicking on the volume icon in the taskbar and selecting "Open Sound settings". Under "Choose your output device" and "Choose your input device", select your Bose headphones.

3. Disable exclusive mode: In Windows sound settings, click on your Bose headphones and select "Properties". Go to the "Advanced" tab and uncheck the "Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device" option. This can sometimes cause conflicts with other applications using the same audio device.

4. Restart the Windows Audio service: In the Windows search bar, type "services.msc" and open the Services app. Scroll down and find "Windows Audio". Right-click on it and select "Restart". This will restart the Windows Audio service and may fix any issues related to it.

5. Try using the headphones on another device: To rule out any hardware issues with your headphones, try connecting them to another device and test if they work properly with Microsoft Teams. If they do, the issue may be with your computer's Bluetooth or audio settings.

Hopefully, one of these solutions will help you fix the issue with your Bose QC35 II headphones and Microsoft Teams.

[#3]

@muhammad_kekereekun thanks for the tips. Below my feedback.

1. Firmware is up-to-date

2. "Headset (Bose...)" is selected in Teams and in Windows sound settings.

3. Unchecked the box, but doesn't seem to change anything.

4. BINGO! This fixed the problem... but I shut down my PC every day, so why would a manual restart of the service be required?

5. Headphones work perfectly on my Android phone with the Teams app.

Extra info:

In Windows sound settings, I see 2 different output devices:

• "Headphones (Bose...)" --> I heard sound when I click Test (before restart of audio service)
• "Headset (Bose...)" --> I didn't hear sound when I click on Test (before restart of audio service)

[#4]

I'm glad that restarting the Windows Audio service fixed the problem. As for your question about why a manual restart of the service was required, sometimes the audio service may encounter errors or conflicts with other applications or services, which can cause it to stop functioning properly. A restart of the service can clear any issues and help it function normally again.

Regarding the two different output devices you see in the Windows sound settings, "Headphones (Bose...)" is likely the stereo audio output, while "Headset (Bose...)" is the mono audio output that is used for communication applications like Microsoft Teams. It's normal to see both of these outputs listed for Bluetooth headphones with built-in microphones.

If the issue occurs again in the future, you can try automating the restart of the Windows Audio service by creating a batch file that runs the following command:
net stop AudioSrv
net start AudioSrv

Save the file as a .bat file and create a scheduled task in Windows Task Scheduler to run the batch file daily. This can save you the trouble of manually restarting the service each time you encounter the issue.