Windows 10 issue with bluetooth wireless earphones

Not every Operating System get Usability done right. Something like pairing and connecting to a bluetooth earphone should be simple and straightforward.

Windows 10 issue with bluetooth wireless earphones

How come pairing and connecting bluetooth earphones is so erratic on Windows?

The Wireless Earphones

Awei T8 Wireless Earphones

I recently bought the Awei T8, an affordable wireless bluetooth earphone so that I can use them without hindrance when on the move. They are value for their price and the battery is relatively long.

The first thing I notice - when pairing with my Android mid range phone - is noise particularly when the volume is low. My first reaction is that this might be the noise cancelling feature as advertised on the product box. This noise is however absent, when connected on my work's MacBook Pro or my Windows 10 laptop at home.

Windows 10 Issue

Photo by Panos Sakalakis / Unsplash

I have two Windows 10 laptops at home and both have issues pairing with the earphones. The first obvious issue, compared to both my phone and the MBP, is the absurd amount of time it takes for pairing the device and connecting, which regularly fails. So if you are in a hurry to get things done, you're out of luck.

So on googling this issue, which seems to be a known problem, the amount of steps needed to solve it is surprising. First the bluetooth driver might be out of date or should be reinstalled for whatever reason.

Bluetooth connection issue

If this was an issue on a Linux distribution such as Ubuntu, I can understand because the system is basically free and have a limited budget. But we are talking about Windows 10, produced by Microsoft and their legions of highly paid software developers around the globe. Furthermore, the Windows 10 licence is not cheap as well - particularly the Pro version.

Once the bluetooth does connect, the volume goes maximum, which is a health hazard. I did not notice the first times this happened as I was not listening to anything loud enough.

Much simpler in MacOS

I've come to expect this kind of behaviour with Microsoft's Operating System, especially with Windows 8 and 10. Even if their licences are expensive, they are loaded with issues. I think the reason being is the massive number of supported devices.