Windows 10 Gaining Improved Audio Support for AirPods in Future Update

The next major update for Windows 10 later this year will include improved support for Apple's line of AirPods and other Bluetooth headphones and earbud speakers.

windows 10
In a blog post, Microsoft says it is planning to add support for AAC, or Advanced Audio Coding for Bluetooth devices, which will offer improved audio quality for AirPods, iTunes, and Apple Music users. Windows currently only supports SBC codec and aptX for Bluetooth devices.

Enjoy premium audio streaming quality wirelessly on your Bluetooth headphones and speakers with AAC codec. Short for Advanced Audio Codec, AAC is a lossy codec that delivers high quality audio streaming in smaller files – great for listening to music online.

Alongside AAC support, the Windows 10 update will make it easier to select Bluetooth headphones, speakers, and earbuds from the Windows bar. As Microsoft describes:

No more clicking through multiple audio endpoints to make your Bluetooth headset's voice and mic work properly. We now only expose one audio endpoint in the UI and will switch to the correct one automatically for you for a seamless experience. Listening to Spotify and then have to hop onto a Teams call? You can also now directly control the volume of your headset

The new features, accompanied with bug fixes and improvements, will be available to all Windows 10 users later this year. However, members of the Windows Insider program can receive a beta with the new additions with the latest build.

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Top Rated Comments

TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
51 months ago
looks like a solid update to me
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Enrico Avatar
51 months ago
Hopefully one day they will add Teams compatibility as well.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
acorntoy Avatar
51 months ago
And people say Apple is late to add functionality.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
btrach144 Avatar
51 months ago

Hopefully they fix their security holes in that OS too... Oh wait, there's an entire industry built by the fact that Microsoft software is insecure...
How is this on topic?

you realize that same industry has products for macOS too, right?

security issues are being found with Apple devices at an alarming rate.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Imory Avatar
51 months ago
That's great! Unfortunately, both MacOS and Windows 10 suffers from the limitations of SBC where if you're on a Teams call or Zoom, having the audio output and mic output to your headphones/AirPods will result in 1950s phone call quality since it can't do both. Something the BT consortium really needs to fix. Fortunately, Zoom has gotten pretty clever with this and will connect the audio output to your AirPods and use the mic of your Macbook in order to maintain the highest quality possible.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AndyMacAndMic Avatar
51 months ago

Hopefully they fix their security holes in that OS too... Oh wait, there's an entire industry built by the fact that Microsoft software is insecure...
First of all, that is wildly off topic.
Secondly, if you want to go down the path of security holes, one can 'shoot holes' in every OS in existence.

Here is a recent example on macOS:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macos-11-3-patches-security-vulnerability-that-bypassed-built-in-malware-protections.2293352/?post=29838898#post-29838898

Pot and kettle?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)