Windows 11’s Bluetooth LE Audio Support to Improve Audio Quality for Game Chat and Voice Calls

Windows 11 is improving audio quality in voice calls and game chats when using wireless headsets, earbuds, or an assistive hearing device that supports Bluetooth LE Audio. That’s thanks to an improved audio compression technology that allows Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) audio devices to play in super wideband stereo quality while using a microphone.

As Microsoft explained on its Windows OS Platform blog, the legacy Bluetooth Classic Audio technology uses either the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) to deliver high-quality audio with no microphone support, or the Hands-Free Profile (HFP) to use a microphone, though only in mono quality. Bluetooth LE Audio introduced a single profile for both media playback and voice with a higher 32kHz sample rate.

“When using an LE Audio device with a Windows 11 PC that supports super wideband stereo, the switch into game chat no longer causes an abrupt drop in audio quality,” the company explained. “In addition to gaming, this feature improves calls in apps like Microsoft Teams. Teams Spatial Audio is already available for wired headsets, but it depends on stereo audio, so it hasn’t previously been available over Bluetooth.”

To enjoy super wideband stereo during game chat and voice calls, Windows 11 users will need a compatible Bluetooth headset, earbuds, or assistive hearing device, as well as a PC with updated Bluetooth audio drivers. If Bluetooth LE audio support is built into Windows 11 version 24H2, Microsoft acknowledged that some PCs will require driver updates to add support for the future. According to the company, “most new mobile PCs that launch starting in late 2025 will have support from the factory.”

While support for Bluetooth LE audio will greatly benefit gamers and people using apps like Teams and Discord, Microsoft said that it’s continuing to work with its Bluetooth LE Audio device makers and other partners to improve audio quality even further. “In a future update to Windows, we plan to bring CD-quality audio playback to game chat and voice calls, just like when not using the microphone,” the company said yesterday.