Microsoft details Bluetooth LE Audio requirements and support for Windows 11, 10

Microsoft introduced Bluetooth LE (low energy) Audio support with Windows 11 22H2 KB5026446 (build 22621.1778), also known as Moment 3, in May 2023. The release notes state:

This update adds support for Bluetooth® Low Energy (LE) Audio. Your computer must support Bluetooth LE Audio to use this feature. This update improves sound quality and battery life when you connect your computer to a Bluetooth LE Audio headset or headphones.

A Bluetooth LE Audio related document has also been published on the Microsoft Learn website, delving into some of the technical aspects of the new technology and detailing how the Windows Bluetooth Vendor-Specific Audio Path (VSAP) will allow platforms to enable Bluetooth LE Audio streaming.

This document also defines a number of audio format requirements that independent hardware vendors (IHVs) must meet to support Bluetooth LE Audio. These requirements include audio frame durations of 7.5 ms or 10 ms, support for the Basic Audio Profile (BAP) and Telephony and Media Audio Profile (TMAP), among others.

However, at the time, Microsoft never published a specific set of requirements for the average user. Recently, the company finally published a support article titled "Check if a Windows 11 device supports Bluetooth Low Energy Audio" to clarify the concepts involved.

Microsoft has confirmed that Bluetooth LE Audio will not work on Windows 10 or Windows 11 21H2. Here's what it says:

Not all Windows 11 devices support LE Audio, even if the Windows device is advertised as supporting Bluetooth LE. To use LE Audio, the Windows device must:

1. Running Windows 11, version 22H2 or later.
2. Supports Bluetooth LE compatibility and compatible audio codecs.
3. There are LE Audio support drivers from the manufacturer for both the Bluetooth LE radio and audio codec.

Note: Bluetooth LE Audio is not supported on Windows 10 or Windows 11, version 21H2.

Some Windows 11 devices that do not currently support LE Audio may have support added in the future through driver updates from the manufacturer.

Bluetooth LE Audio on Windows also supports hearing devices like hearing aids, a feature the company began testing last October on the Canary channel. A separate support article for the feature has also been published, and in it, Microsoft confirms that adjusting certain aspects of acoustics like audio presets and ambient sound volume on hearing aids is only supported on Windows 11 24H2 and later.

You can find this support article on the Microsoft website here.

Samuel Daniel

Update 03 February 2025