My bluetooth headphones will only provide output from one program at a time

Question

My headphone cable is broken, so I've been using my headset on Bluetooth mode recently. The problem with this is that I can only hear one app/program at any given time. For example, I play video games with friends and if I join the discord call first then I can't hear audio from my game and if I launch the game first then I can't hear the discord call. How do I just make Bluetooth headphones play all audio outputs produced by my PC rather than a single specific one?

I've googled it but no one else seems to have the same problem. I think I read something about certain apps overriding audio when Bluetooth is on, but can't find any more info on this both in the apps and in my settings.

Edit: I've disabled exclusive mode on all audio devices associated with my headphones (hands-free audio and stereo)

Solution

To address your question "How do I just make Bluetooth headphones play all audio outputs produced by my PC rather than a single specific one?"

Your bluetooth device is showing up as two audio devices to windows, but your headset can only play the output one of these virtual devices at a time and your headset automatically changes which one it is without windows knowing. Windows thinks both are active, so you need to go into Windows and change the output from one of the bluetooth virtual devices to the other. Normally the high quality one is active in the actual physical headset, but as soon as activity is detected on the low quality one or the mic, then the high quality output shuts off and the headset switches. So you need to move the output of the game/music/program to the low quality output which may be called handsfree possibly by temporarily disabling the other one or selecting the output in "app volume and device preferences" in sound settings.

https://audeze.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360018651652-Notes-on-Bluetooth-quality-for-gaming-video-and-microphone-use

https://www.howtogeek.com/354321/why-bluetooth-headsets-are-terrible-on-windows-pcs/

Hope I am wrong though bc it sucks!

Comments

[rfii]

I answered your question about how to make all audio outputs play on your headset but @DavidPostill deleted it. I explain how your bluetooth headset shows up as two devices and you need to disable a certain one.