The next big Windows 10 update improves Bluetooth audio with AAC support - The Verge

Microsoft’s next big Windows 10 update for later this year will include some important audio improvements. The OS will finally get support for Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) over Bluetooth, which will give Windows users even more choice for Bluetooth headphones and speakers. Windows Insiders can test the changes right now.

Windows has long only supported SBC and AptX over Bluetooth, but AAC support also unlocks the potential for better audio quality for Apple’s range of headphones and through iTunes or Apple Music on Windows. Apple was previously hiring engineers to build the “next generation of media apps for Windows,” and AAC support would be a solid improvement for any potential Apple Music app, or just streaming through the browser.

Microsoft is also improving how you select Bluetooth inputs in Windows 10, so there aren’t multiple devices anymore. Windows has for years exposed multiple Bluetooth profiles for headphones and speakers, which confuses some apps into thinking there are multiple devices. Windows will soon only use a single audio endpoint to automatically switch to the correct Bluetooth profile depending on whether you’re listening to music or taking calls.

These are welcome changes to Windows for audio management, but there’s still more Microsoft could do here. EarTrumpet is a great third-party app that can replace the system tray sound icon and let you control multiple outputs, headsets, or digital-to-analog converters much better than Windows does.

Either way, the next big Windows 10 update is shaping up to be an important one. Yesterday, Microsoft revealed it will finally fix the Windows 10 problem where apps rearrange on multiple monitors when you resume from standby. This Windows 10 update will also include the Xbox Auto HDR feature for PC games, new File Explorer icons, and even Linux GUI apps for developers.

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