Bluetooth Low Energy Audio (LE Audio) is a new technology for audio streaming over Bluetooth. It allows your PC and your audio devices to run longer on a charge, with increased audio quality and reduced latency.
LE Audio also adds support for assistive hearing devices (hearing aids, cochlear implants, etc.). The ability to connect and stream to hearing devices is not available on PCs that only support Bluetooth Classic Audio.
LE Audio hearing device features in Windows
Windows 11 PCs with LE Audio support can connect directly to LE Audio hearing devices, allowing them to directly stream media and call audio to the hearing device.
Starting in Windows 11, version 24H2, you can adjust audio presets and ambient sound volume configured by you or your audiologist from Settings or Quick Settings. These controls allow you to quickly tweak your hearing devices’ behavior to suit different environments.
Additionally, you can now view important details for connected Bluetooth devices, such as battery life and connection status. To use this feature, follow these steps:
Navigate to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Devices, or use the following shortcut:
Note: Preset and ambient volume options and availability will vary based on the model and configuration of your hearing devices.
Windows PC compatibility with Bluetooth LE Audio hearing devices
To use hearing devices with your Windows 11 PC, LE Audio needs to be supported on both your PC and your hearing device. Bluetooth LE Audio is built on top of Bluetooth LE technology, but not all PCs or hearing devices that support Bluetooth LE also support LE Audio. Proprietary technologies like ASHA (Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids) and MFi (Made for iPhone) hearing devices are not based on LE Audio, even if they are marketed as using Bluetooth LE.
Hearing devices with support for LE Audio began to enter the market in early 2024. To determine if a hearing device supports LE Audio, review the manufacturer’s specifications to look for Bluetooth LE Audio support or contact the device's manufacturer.
Not all Windows 11 PCs support LE Audio, even if the PC is marketed as supporting Bluetooth LE. Windows PCs with support for Bluetooth LE Audio largely began entering the market in 2024, although select 2023 models also support it.
To use LE Audio hearing devices, your PC must:
-
Be running Windows 11
-
Have integrated Bluetooth LE support from the factory
-
Have LE Audio capable Bluetooth and audio subsystem drivers provided by the manufacturer
Note: Windows 11 version 24H2 or newer is required to adjust audio presets and ambient sound volume.
Learn more about how to check if your Windows PC supports LE Audio.
Pairing your hearing devices to your Windows 11 PC
You can pair your device using Quick Settings, or, if supported, you can pair your device with Swift Pair.
Pairing with Quick Settings
-
On your PC, select the Network, Sound, or Battery icons ( ) next to the time and date on the right side of your taskbar.
-
Select Manage Bluetooth devices in the Bluetooth tile in the Quick Settings flyout.
-
Turn on your LE Audio hearing device and make it discoverable. If you’re not sure how to power on your hearing devices and make them discoverable, refer to the instructions that came with them, or check with the audiologist who helped you set them up.
-
Select your hearing device once it appears under New devices.
Pairing with Swift Pair
Swift Pair in Windows 11 lets you quickly pair a supported Bluetooth device with your PC. If the Bluetooth LE Audio hearing device supports Swift Pair, you’ll receive a notification when it's nearby and you put it into pairing mode to make it discoverable.
Turn on your LE Audio hearing device and make it discoverable. If you’re not sure how to power on your hearing devices and make them discoverable, refer to the instructions that came with them, or check with the audiologist who helped you set them up.
If this is your first time using Swift Pair, select Yes when asked if you want to get notifications and use Swift Pair.
When a notification appears that a new Bluetooth device was found, select Connect.
If you have more than one hearing device, you may need to connect to each one. After the connection is established to the first hearing device, you may see a message that says "We found the other hearing aid. Connect now?" Select Connect to connect to the other hearing device. After both are paired, you’ll see your hearing devices appear in the list under Your devices.
Note: Pairing to hearing devices can take up to several seconds. Not all devices support Swift Pair.
If you have troubles pairing your hearing devices, please see Pair a Bluetooth device in Windows.
Your paired hearing device will usually connect to your PC automatically when it is turned on. For information on manually connecting to a paired hearing device, see the next section.
Connecting to your hearing devices
Once your hearing devices are paired with your Windows 11 PC, you can connect to them in two ways:
-
Your hearing device may automatically connect to your PC when it is turned on.
-
You can manually connect to your hearing devices through Windows Settings or the Quick Settings UI.
To connect using Quick Settings:
-
Select the Network, Sound, or Battery icons ( ) next to the time and date on the taskbar's right side.
-
Select Manage Bluetooth devices in the Bluetooth tile in the Quick Settings flyout.
-
Select your hearing device from the list of paired devices to connect.
Adjusting hearing device settings on Windows
Starting in Windows 11, version 24H2, customers can adjust the audio presets and ambient sound settings configured by them or their audiologist directly from Settings or the Quick Settings UI in Windows.
Adjusting audio presets and ambient sound volume
-
Select the Network, Sound, or Battery icons ( ) next to the time and date on the taskbar's right side.
-
Select Manage Bluetooth devices in the Bluetooth tile in the Quick Settings flyout.
-
Connect your hearing device.
-
Select your hearing device from the list of paired devices.
-
Select Properties .
-
Adjust audio presets and ambient sound volume as needed.
Note: Audio presets and ambient sound control availability will vary based on the model of hearing aids.
