Zoom bluetooth audio crippled

[bkummel]

Hi,

I have this issue where during a Zoom meeting, the audio suddenly starts to sound crippled. On a level that I can barely understand what others in the meeting are saying. This only happens when I use a bluetooth headset. At first I thought the headset was the issue. I got it replaced by a headset from a different brand, but the issue remains. I don't have crippled sound when using the headset for e.g. listening to music. It also does not happen always. I can get the sound back to normal by disconnecting the bluetooth and then connect again. I hear from colleagues that they experience the same with different headsets and also only with Zoom.

Does anyone else recognize this problem? Is there a way to prevent the crippling from starting? It's really annoying to have to disconnect the headset in the middle of a meeting!

[storyhub]

Audio is very complex on computer systems and depends upon many factors. You have not stated what device and OS is being used which further complicates the possibilities.

As a best guess I would guess that you did not connect to the device using the bluetooth connect feature of Zoom.

[bkummel]

Hi @storyhub ,

Thanks for your reply. I run Zoom on a MacBook air (M2, 2023) running macOS 15.1. I've updated to the latest version of Zoom.

Can you elaborate more about the bluetooth connect feature? As far as I'm aware the bluetooth connection is the responsibility of macOS. But let me know if there's another way to connect, happy to try!

[bkummel]

Thanks for you reply, @storyhub !

I'm running Zoom on a MacBook air (M2, 2023), running macOS 15.1.

Can you elaborate more on the "Bluetooth Connect" feature you mentioned? As far as I'm aware, the only way to connect a bluetooth device is through the macOS bluetooth menu.

[storyhub]

Apple devices have very complex audio management requiring permissions and special devices that follow all of Apple's requirements. If the device connected only supports 44.1K sample rate that can lead to issues. If the device connected is a bluetooth speaker and a mic that device may not work as a speaker device for shared audio because it is a bluetooth device. Bluetooth is not a well established standard and is not a recommended technology in the pro audio world because of many incompatibility situations. If your bluetooth headset was not produced by Apple then incompatibility is an expected issue. Additionally, bluetooth has significant latency that will throw lip sync off. As an audio engineer we avoid bluetooth devices because of all these issues. On iPads and iPhones Zoom has a separate bluetooth connect function as a part of the speaker function. A bluetooth device that works on an iPad or iPhone with Zoom may not work on a PC with Zoom even when it APPEARS to be properly connected. If you want to use Apple devices and their airplay technology it is highly recommended that you ONLY use Apple bluetooth devices. Apple does not give out all the compatibility rules to other manufacturers to force users to use only Apple devices. If you want to use non Apple devices it is best to use USB or analog technology.

[bkummel]

Hi @storyhub ,

I'm sorry, but this answer isn't helpful at all. If Bluetooth was really as problematic as you say, then why do I see literally everyone on the street, in the train and at the office using bluetooth headsets? Also, all the issues you sum up are different issues than the one that I describe. Using only Apple devices is also not a viable option, especially since I prefer over-ear headsets. The only option Apple has for an over-ear headset is prohibitively expensive.

Back to my issue: despite all the problems you describe with Bluetooth, I can listen music with my Bluetooth headset without any issues and with good audio quality. (Both while connected to my MacBook or my iPhone.) I can also do phone calls with my iPhone and the BT headset without problems. The only time when the crippled audio problem manifests, is when I'm in a Zoom call. So, there must be something special that the Zoom software is doing that's causing this. I was hoping that there would be some setting that I could turn on or off to mitigate the problem. Or maybe Zoom could look into this and fix their software.

[storyhub]

Your diagnostic logic is flawed. The issue is not with the Zoom software, since there ARE numerous bluetooth devices that DO work with Zoom and IOS and ARM processors. The issue is with the design of the hardware you are using. This I do know as an electrical engineer that designs audio/video systems. Your specific selection of hardware (which you have not yet identified) is the most likely issue. What you SEE is people using bluetooth hardware to do what that hardware was specifically designed to do. This does not mean that the bluetooth technology is not without ambiguity , limitations, or subject to special uses. The medical industry uses a form of bluetooth that is used in pacemakers that does not require pairing yet it is very secure. There are different versions of bluetooth that are not compatible with certain hardware. Bluetooth has lots of compatibility issues. Some of these issues are recognized in the following article

https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0058146

Here is a partial list of Zoom certified hardware, but it does not guarantee that the hardware will work with your hardware.

https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0063101

[bkummel]

As I said in my post on ‎2025-01-17 08:24 AM, I'm using Zoom on macOS, which is something totally different from iOS. I've experienced the exact same problem with three different headsets:

• Soundcore Life Q30
• Soundcore Space One
• Sony WH-1000XM4

The first two are on the "cheaper" side of the market. But the latter is considered one of the best wireless head sets with noice cancelling. That alone is enough for me to rule out the headset as the cause of the problem. On top of that: while I would be willing to believe that the Soundcore devices –being from the "budget" segment– have design flaws, I've a hard time believing that the Sony headset has. As said, it's widely considered to be one of the bests noise cancelling wireless head sets. It's also the 4th iteration of a very successfull product. 

The list of "Zoom certified hardware" is not very helpful. There's only a handful of brands in that list, and it seems to be focussed on office head sets, that are only meant for doing calls and are not suitable for e.g. listening to music. I want my headset to be usable for music listening while in transit. Therefore I need noise cancelling as well as Bluetooth. Also, I don't want to carry multiple devices with me. 

So, let me repeat my diagnose:

• Tried 3 different head sets
• Problem only occurs with zoom, not while listening to music

How can that not be a Zoom issue?

[storyhub]

Mac OS and ARM processors are still very picky about hardware. Listening to music is not a VALID test for Zoom because it typically uses 44.1K sample rate and uses only the speakers (headphones - one way communication). Zoom uses speakers and Mic of the bluetooth device (2 way communication). The Sony headset has 5 mics in an array and noise cancellation built-in that can cause interference (turn off noise cancellation to see if that changes the sound you hear from Zoom) if settings or hardware design are not compatible.

The Sony headset needs to be configured differently to work with Zoom (vs music) so take a look at the following about CONFIGURING THE SONY HEADSET. Which states "When you make a video call on your computer, select calling connections (HFP/HSP) and not music playback connections (A2DP). If you select music playback connections, a video call may not be available. "

https://helpguide.sony.net/mdr/wh1000xm4/v1/en/contents/TP1000003512.html

[bkummel]

All the info you link to seems to be outdated:

• I don't see any reference to A2DP nor HFP/HSP in my Sony Sound Connect app. I've checked all settings in the app. 
• I don't see different stereo and hands-free devices listed in Zoom, nor in the Bluetooth menu of macOS. I only see one single WH-1000XM4 entry. I believe I read in some firmware update release notes that they had removed that, but I can't find those release notes anymore now.

However, the Sound Connect app let's me change a setting where I can choose whether the head set should prioritize sound quality or connection stability. Since I've set it to prioritize connection stability, the situation has improved a bit: I still hear some artifacts in Zoom calls, but not to the point where I can't understand what's being said anymore. 

It's not clear to me what exactly this setting does, but it might be that it selects HFP/HSP under the hood.