Bluetooth auto connection failure

Question

Bluetooth auto connection failure

Salvador 0

Hi there, I'm on windows 11 Pro 10.0.26300 Build 26300, I've disabled the Hands-Free Telephony service for my Sony wh-1000xm4 headphones, since in some scenarios audio becomes really bad due to A2DP when using microphone, even if the current in use microphone is a USB device not part of the headset, which sucks, more than a protocol limitation seems a windows restriction. So the thing is, after disabling this service, I have to manually connect the device every time I turn it on, the question is if this is the service that controls the auto connection or Audio Sink, GSOUND_BT_AUDIO or some other service controls that part, I don't want to use the hands free service ever.

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Answer 1

Clary-N 17,170 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Salvador,

Thanks for the details. A couple of details may help narrow this down: are the headphones paired with another device and does auto-connect fail after a normal startup too or only after sleep or hibernation?

For testing, turn off Bluetooth on any nearby phone or computer previously paired with the headphones and temporarily disable Connect to 2 devices simultaneously in the Sony Sound Connect app. This will show whether another device is taking priority during reconnection.

You can also check the Bluetooth adapter in Device Manager > Properties > Power Management and clear "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power", if that option appears. Then perform a full shutdown by holding Shift while selecting Shut down and test again after powering the PC back on.

If it still happens, please let me know the Bluetooth adapter model and driver version, along with whether the headphones reconnect normally to other devices.

Salvador 0 Reputation points

2026-10-15T18:57:31.13+00:00

I don't have a Power Management tab in device properties, apparently I'm running OS in S0 sleep mode. Anyways the power plan at least is set to ultimate performance and wireless connections too.

I've also checked the Sony app and 2 device connection is disabled, no other computer or phone tries to connect to the headphones.
Clary-N 17,170 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-16T08:07:46.4+00:00

Hi Salvador,

Thanks for confirming that. Since multipoint is disabled and no other paired device is trying to connect, that rules out the most common external cause.

One small clarification: A2DP is the high-quality stereo playback profile, while the reduced-quality hands-free mode is associated with HFP when headset audio capture is active.

Because the auto-connect issue started after you disabled Hands-Free Telephony, the first useful test would be to temporarily re-enable only that service and restart the headphones. If automatic connection returns, that would confirm the behavior is tied to that profile configuration on this setup. It would not necessarily mean you must keep using the headset microphone, but it would show that disabling the service is affecting reconnection or audio-endpoint activation.

I wouldn’t disable Audio Sink, AVRCP Transport, or GSOUND_BT_AUDIO while testing. Audio Sink is relevant to stereo audio playback, and changing several services at once would make it difficult to identify which change affects reconnection.

Also, the screenshot shows the Microsoft driver for the WH-1000XM4 device, rather than the PC’s Bluetooth radio. Could you expand the Bluetooth section in Device Manager and share the adapter’s exact model and driver version? Since Build 26300 is a Windows Insider Dev build, it would also be helpful to know whether this started after a particular Insider update.