Issue: Bluetooth earphones can hear teams ring audio, but no voice

[Richard1971]

when I select my bt head set as both audio and mic device.  I can't hear voice, I can hear the ringing tones but as soon as I pick up... nothing... nada.

If I select computer as audio source and headphones for mic it works... what gives with BT devices?  any help would be appreciated.

[#2]

@Richard1971 

In desktop, go to Settings>Devices, then check that your Bluetooth devices are selected for Speaker and Microphone.  Once they are, click the Make a test call button to confirm they are functional.

[#3]

@Matthew FrahmThanks for you response!

yes indeed I have been in there and tried dozens of times.

Test call goes just like my description of the problem.  I can hear the ringing tone through my earphones, once I hear the receiver picked up, audio goes dead.  However my mic works.

I tried webex test meeting and tested devices in there as well and same symptoms.

I'm leaning that this is some weird windows bluetooth issue of not having bi-directional audio and mic communication with my plantronics beats headset.

I can use it as audio... I can use it as a mic... I just can't use it as audio and a mic at the same time.

Android phone it works like a champ.

[#4]

@Richard1971 , you're welcome.

Hmmm... I'm only using Plantronics Savi & Voyager UC and Jabra certified for S4B devices, so haven't had that issue.  Perhaps this is a way for Plantronics to upsell you?

I'd recommend checking things out in Windows sound settings using the old school Sound Control Panel.  

Check that your headset is selected as the Default Device or Default Communications Device both on the Playback tab and the Recording tab.  

[#5]

The same problem here, @Richard1971 Windows 10 & Sony WH400 headphones. Headphones work perfectly with any Android device, but when connected to Windows 10 Teams or Cisco WebEx, in the moment headphone microphone is activated, output audio stops.

When only music is played, no issue.

The only workaround is to use my laptop build-in microphone and force Teams to use BT audio as output and build-in microphone as input.

Problem is Teams-related, as the very same WIndows 10 pertmits to record audio in Audacity from headphones mic without any problem and playback works fine as well.

I use Dell build-in BT module that come within Intel wifi chipset with all drivers installed.

[#6]

Hi@PiotrW340  same issue with Sony WH 500. Have you solve it? I tried everything with no results...  Now I want to buy JBL T220 BT earphones, but i wonder if I have same issue :(

[#7]

@farca1989I was not able to resolve.  Seems to be a windows thing, or maybe my bluetooth dongle is unable to process the speakers and mic to same device.  I have since upgraded my remote workstation to use pc speakers for audio, and a nice studio quality Mic so I lost the need for the headset.  Kind of irks me that my android phone handles it, but windows can not.

[#8]

@Richard1971 

I am also experiencing this issue with my bluetooth headset.

The other parties on the line can hear me.  I cannot hear them.

This happens on Microsoft Teams and Slack and Skype for Business.  This does not happen on Skype.  I also can hear YouTube videos, music files, etc. just fine.

[#9]

@Richard1971 

Solved this problem in Windows 10

Sound settings -> Manage sound devices

In output devices you will see two Bluetooth devices with similar names
- Headphones
- Headset

In input devices you will see one Bluetooth device
- Headset

Make sure you disable the output device WHICH DOES NOT match the input device

I.e. Disable Headphones

Solved my issue with teams

[#10]

@Rowboi 

Didn't work for me.  Same issues as before.

The other parties on the line can hear me.  I cannot hear them.

Anyone else have any ideas?  Really annoying.  I tried using my bluetooth headset on my Mac and on my Android and it worked perfectly and smoothly on both.  Why can't this work on Windows 10!

[#11]

Exactly the same issue here with brand new Mpow 059 headphones, tried every solution explained here with no issue... Works on my iPhone no problem, really seems like a windows issue

[#12]

@Richard1971 
That is super weird cause I has similar issue with my Bose QC 35 II with "Headphones (Bose QC35 II Stereo)" selected as Speaker and "Headset (Bose QC35II Hands-Free AG Audio)" selected as Microphone - could only hear ringtone, but no voice.
Solved by selecting my speaker to "Headset (Bose QC35II Hands-Free AG Audio)" so now I have headset as speaker and mic selected. 

[#13]

As for me, go to Sound Settings, choose manage sound devices.

*Don't play any sound in the background for the moment, stop youtube etc.

I can see Output:

- Speakers

- Headphones (mpow flame S stereo)

- Headset (mpow flame s hands-free AG audio)

Input:

- Internal mic

- Headset (mpow flame s hands-free AG audio)

For each output (headphones and headset), click the Test button a few times and see which one produces test sound. As for my PC, (Output) headset did not produce any sound and I disabled it. So the final configurations:

Output:

- Speakers

- Headphones (mpow flame S stereo)

Input:

- Internal mic

- Headset (mpow flame s hands-free AG audio)

Now, turn off the BT earphones and turn it on again. Play youtube etc to confirm everything is all right.

[#14]

Sony WH-1000xm3's. Teams will only work if I select the "Hands-free" devices which are low quality OR if I select the normal/quality device for speaker and use something else as the microphone. If I try to use the good quality speaker with the microphone I get one of two results somewhat randomly. Either 1) microphone is working but no sound in headphones (silent speaker). Or, 2) I get loud noise in headphones that goes away if I switch away the microphone. Headset works fine in other apps like zoom, works great with my phone. Just teams is broken. I think the app is mishandling the device in some way.

[#15]

I am having the same issue now with apple ear buds and a mac running Catalina. I haven't come up with a solution. It was not an issue 2 weeks ago (early September 2020).

[#16]

@Richard1971 Almost the same issue using JBL Tune 500 BT. Everyone listen me, but when someone speaks, the voice seems under the water. It is impossible to undertand. For all others uses, the sound is greate. I realise this issue only when using Teams. In that moment, I need to turn off my earphone.

[#17]

Same here!

Hello, Microsoft, how are you feeling? Any tips? any patches? More than 0.5 of a year has passed since the original issue was posted.

[#18]

Hello@vkhasilev 

Never found a solution.   I'm running a more stable teams setup now with PC speakers used for audio, a separate high fidelity mic on boom for voice.  I gave up trying to use a single bluetooth device as both audio and voice as windows did not seem to support very well at the same time.

[#19]

@Richard1971   You might be interested in this article that one of our engineers tweeted out a few months ago: Why Bluetooth Headsets Are Terrible on Windows PCs (howtogeek.com)

[#20]

@ThereseSolimeno Yes, that article seems still valid. I would add that I tried several BT 5.0 headsets (WH1000mx3, WH1000mx4, and Bose 700) with two different BT 5.0 dongles and the behavior was exactly the same in all cases. Windows support is mediocre and in Teams it is even worse as many of us described earlier.