Bluetooth audio problems Catalina

This is the same issue for me

I have basic Bluetooth® Headphones from Lazer (no noise cancelling, sound quality etc). This usually occurs when I use Windows on my Mac and I connect my headphones to Windows and then I switch back to MacOS and I connect the headphones it but the audio comes from the speakers yet it is saying connected. Whats more interesting is that that the headphones won't show as the sound output device and yet it is connected.

A similar issue happens Windows. When I try to connect my headphones to Windows, it will try to connect but then it will say We didn't get any response. Try Connecting again.

Another issue is when sometimes when I connect my headphones to my Mac it will connect but after 1-2 minutes it automatically disconnect and I have to reconnect it. To make it more worse sometimes it will create the same problem as Bunkface mentioned

I get this too with my Bose QC35ii which always worked fine before. This time I grabbed the dmesg output just after they dropped out - sugggests an issue with power saving mode:

+ IOAudioEngine[<ptr>]::stopAudioEngine()

+-IOAudioEngine[<ptr>]::setState(0x0. oldState=0x1)

+ IOAudioDevice[<ptr>]::audioEngineStopped() - numRunningAudioEngines = 1

+ IOAudioDevice[<ptr>]::scheduleIdleAudioSleep: idleSleepDelayTime = ffffffffffffffffffffffff

- IOAudioDevice[<ptr>]::scheduleIdleAudioSleep: idleSleepDelayTime = ffffffffffffffffffffffff

- IOAudioDevice[<ptr>]::audioEngineStopped() - numRunningAudioEngines = 0

- IOAudioEngine[<ptr>]::stopAudioEngine() returns 0x0

+-IOAudioEngine[<ptr>]::setState(0x0. oldState=0)

+ IOAudioEngineUserClient::externalMethod, selector=0x0, arg0 0x0, arg1 0x109f5b000, arg2 0x8010 arg3 0xe77

scalarInputCount=0x4 structureInputSize 0x0, scalarOutputCount 0x0, structureOutputSize 0x0

+ IOAudioEngineUserClient::registerBuffer64 0x0 0x109f5b000 0x8010 0xe77

+ IOAudioEngineUserClient::safeRegisterClientBuffer64 <ptr>

+ IOAudioEngineUserClient[<ptr>]::registerClientBuffer64 (<ptr>[1], 0x109f5b000, 0x8010, 0xe77)

null clientBufferSetList

did not find clientBufferSetList for ID 0xe77

PMRD: setAggressiveness(0) kPMMinutesToSleep = 0

clientBuffer->mAudioClientBuffer32.sourceBuffer before offset: <ptr>, offset size: 16

clientBuffer->mAudioClientBuffer32.sourceBuffer after offset: <ptr>

null clientBufferSetList

did not find clientBufferSetList for ID 0xe77

creating new IOAudioClientBufferSet

output

!isOnline

- IOAudioEngineUserClient::registerClientBuffer64() result 0x0

- IOAudioEngineUserClient::safeRegisterClientBuffer64 returns 0x0

- IOAudioEngineUserClient::registerBuffer64 0x0 0x109f5b000 0x8010 0xe77 returns 0x0

- IOAudioEngineUserClient::externalMethod returns 0x0

+ IOAudioEngineUserClient::externalMethod, selector=0x3, arg0 0x0, arg1 0x0, arg2 0x0 arg3 0x0

scalarInputCount=0x0 structureInputSize 0x0, scalarOutputCount 0x0, structureOutputSize 0x0

+ IOAudioEngineUserClient[<ptr>]::startClient() - 0

audioEngine && !isInactive(). State = 0

audioEngine->getState() != kIOAudioEnginePaused

+- IOAudioEngineUserClient[<ptr>]::setOnline(1)

!isOnline() setting online

+ IOAudioEngine[<ptr>]::startClient(<ptr>)

+ IOAudioEngine[<ptr>]::incrementActiveUserClients() - 0

+ IOAudioEngine[<ptr>]::startAudioEngine(state = 0)

+ IOAudioDevice[<ptr>]::protectedCompletePowerStateChange() - current = 2 - pending = 2

- IOAudioDevice[<ptr>]::protectedCompletePowerStateChange() - current = 2 - pending = 2 returns 0x0

+ IOAudioDevice[<ptr>]::protectedCompletePowerStateChange() - current = 2 - pending = 2

- IOAudioDevice[<ptr>]::protectedCompletePowerStateChange() - current = 2 - pending = 2 returns 0x0

+ IOAudioDevice[<ptr>]::audioEngineStarting() - numRunningAudioEngines = 0

- IOAudioDevice[<ptr>]::audioEngineStarting() - numRunningAudioEngines = 1

+- IOAudioEngine[<ptr>]::resetStatusBuffer()

+-IOAudioEngine[<ptr>]::setState(0x1. oldState=0)

- IOAudioEngine[<ptr>]::getTimerInterval()

- IOAudioEngine[<ptr>]::startAudioEngine() returns 0x0

- IOAudioEngine[<ptr>]::incrementActiveUserClients() - 1 returns 0

- IOAudioEngine[<ptr>]::startClient(<ptr>) returns 0x0

engine started

bufferSet <ptr>

output clientBuffer <ptr>

+ IOAudioStream[<ptr>]::addClient(<ptr>)

- IOAudioStream[<ptr>]::addClient(<ptr>) returns 0x0

- IOAudioEngineUserClient[<ptr>]::startClient() - 1 returns 0x0

- IOAudioEngineUserClient::externalMethod returns 0x0

As has been said numerous times on this thread - NVRAM reset + bluetooth pref delete + blutooth debug + disconnecting/unpairing & every other trick here does NOT work. I repeat this is a bug in MacOS Catalina. None of the solutions in this thread will work. You can only downgrade to Mojave, and/or contact Apple who will takes months to fix this.

I've proven beyond a shadow of a doubt this is a Catalina problem. I restored my MacBook Air from Time machine to Mojave 10.14.6 and my Bluetooth problems have completely disappeared. No more Catalina for me. It looks like I'm going to have to stick with Mojave, not only for this Bluetooth thing, but because Catalina breaks some software that I really like. Actually Catalina doesn't break the software it just won't run it because it thinks it's too old.

-Bob

Hi!

Not sure if you already have solve it but, I had the same issue and just found out that the issue is a "corrupted" bluetooth device list.

I followed the steps on this post https://www.catalinaosx.com/bluetooth-not-working-catalina-os/ and it solved the issue.

Hope it helps!

There are quite a few discussions threads with this issue, unfortunately no solution. It affects all Bluetooth devices I connect to (am on 10.15.1 Catalina) my Mac; after 5-10 min the audio drops to internal speakers even though Bluetooth still connected.

I've tried many things: PRAM reset, deleted Bluetooth pref file, disconnect, reset, etc. Nothing works.

I've been on the phone with support twice for this issue, and were unable to fix. When rebooting in safe mode this problem doesn't seem to happen, so I imagine there is some issue with the bluetooth device file itself?

It's horribly frustrating since I use a Bluetooth headset for work, and will be connected to other devices throughout the day. Really can't understand how Apple hasn't pushed a fix through yet on such a serious bug.

That has been an issue for some time, notably with the keyboard or track pad disconnecting. There has been quite a discussion in the Mojave community. I still have the keyboard and track pad disconnecting though not as frequently as with Mojave.

I'm having a similar problem but my device disappear from sound devices and the Bluetooth connection is still there.

It's been driving me nuts lately, but do you have a "boom app" or any app that act like an audio equalizer?

For me I think, that's the cause of the issue. the virtual audio device is scrambling everything in there...

I feel frustrated that Apple didn't include a simple audio equalizer like Windows!

"Hi!

Not sure if you already have solve it but, I had the same issue and just found out that the issue is a "corrupted" bluetooth device list.

I followed the steps on this post https://www.catalinaosx.com/bluetooth-not-working-catalina-os/ and it solved the issue.

Hope it helps!"

Nope, does NOT help. The link you mentioned even has numerous comments it doesn't work. You didn't read the thread b/c if you did you'd see people have already attempted this.

This is Apple dropping the ball and releasing software with major bugs. Apparently, this bluetooth issue has been around since the beta of MacOS Catalina.

As has been said numerous times on this thread - NVRAM reset + bluetooth pref delete + blutooth debug + disconnecting/unpairing & every other trick here does NOT work. I repeat this is a bug in MacOS Catalina. None of the solutions in this thread will work. You can only downgrade to Mojave, and/or contact Apple who will takes months to fix this.

Apple peaked under Jobs & has been downhill ever since during Cook & Ives era.

Hello, Sorry to hear that.

I actually did read the thread and tested the solution before posting and it worked for me, no issue since yesterday.... and no need to do the NVRAM reset.

Hope you find a solution.

The terminal command is simply "sudo dmesg". It prints the messages in the kernel ring buffer. Because it's a ring buffer (i.e. overwrites itself over time) the messages only go back a short amount of time so you need to execute it shortly after the problem occurs (i.e. within 10-20 seconds)

You could redirect 'dmesg' output to a file, like eg.:

sudo dmesg > ~/dmesg-output.txt

[it will create 'dmesg-output.txt' in your home directory; to read more about it either check 'man bash' or any book on *nix shell scripting fundamentals]

Then, you could search this file for whatever strings you want, eg.:

grep -Ei 'bluetooth|audio' ~/dmesg-output.txt

[again, to learn more about that command check any *nix book on regular expressions or 'man grep']

You can also search '/var/log/system.log' for relevant info.

I'm having doubts, but I think this couple of lines are related:

memorystatus: killing_idle_process pid 28389 [sandboxd] jetsam_reason->osr_code: 9

memorystatus: killing_idle_process pid 28134 [iconservicesd] jetsam_reason->osr_code: 9