Plantronics Bluetooth headset paried successfully but not showing in speaker input/output options

Question

Level 1

9 points

Plantronics Bluetooth headset paried successfully but not showing in speaker input/output options

I am running macOS 10.15.3 and trying to connect with a Plantronics E50 Bluetooth headset. This setup worked reliably before upgrading to Catalina. Hardware is a MacBook Pro 13,2 (13-inch, 2016).

If I delete the device, I am able to pair it successfully and upon pairing, it shows up in System Preferences Sound/Output & input as a device. All works well.

When I turn it off and on again, it connects successfully to the Mac. In System Preferences/Bluetooth, it shows up as an audio device (so with the speaker icon) and the status changes to "Connected". But when I go to Sound/Output or Input, it does NOT show up as a device.

If I delete the device from the list of Bluetooth devices and pair it again, it will work. Until I turn it off.

So far, I have tried:

a) deleted the headset from the list of paired bluetooth devices and did a safe boot

b) deleted the bluetooth pref file from /Library/Preferences

c) reset the NVRAM

Accessibility/Voice Control/Enable Voice Control is disabled

Siri is disabled

Apple Bluetooth Software Version: 7.0.3f5

Headset info from System Information as follows:

PLT_E50:

Address: 0C-E0-E4-E8-E9-64

Major Type: Audio

Minor Type: Headset

Services: HSP service, Advanced audio service, HFP service

Paired: Yes

Configured: Yes

Connected: Yes

Manufacturer: Broadcom (0x5, 0x2130)

Bluetooth Core Spec: 3.0

Vendor ID: 0x000F

Class of Device: 0x04 0x01 0x240404

RSSI: -53

Role: Master

Connection Mode: Sniff Mode

Interval: 637.5 ms

EDR Supported: Yes

eSCO Supported: Yes

SSP Supported: Yes

Am out of ideas...Any help appreciated.

Thanks.

MacBook Air 13", macOS 10.13

Posted on Mar 8, 2020 9:31 PM

Reply

Answer 1

brenden dv

Community Specialist

Mar 9, 2020 9:49 AM in response to pdt777

Hey pdt777,

I see that you're unable to connect to the Plantronics E50 Bluetooth headset, because while the Bluetooth connects, it doesn't display as an available audio device. I'll be happy to help out.

When you put the Mac in safe mode, was the headset detected? Also try testing it out in a test user account. Creating a test user account can help determine if the issue is caused by third-party software: How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac. There's steps to take further in that resource, depending if the issue happens in the test user account or not but you can also let us know the results.

Cheers!

Reply

Answer 2

chris_g1

Community Specialist

Mar 10, 2020 6:53 AM in response to pdt777

Hey Philip,

Thanks for checking those steps. One other step you could take is to reinstall the macOS. This process will not overwrite any data. It only overwrites the system files. That being said, I still recommend having a known good backup: How to use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac.

When you're ready, here's the instructions to reinstall the macOS: How to reinstall macOS.

If that doesn't resolve the issue, let us know if you have any issues with other Bluetooth devices on the Mac, or is it just the Plantronics headset?

Cheers.

Reply

Answer 3

pdt777 Author

Level 1

9 points

Mar 9, 2020 7:32 PM in response to brenden dv

Hi Brenden:

Thanks for the reply.

Tested a couple of scenarios:

in a new user account in normal mode - same result.
in a new user account in safe mode - showed no input/output device in Sound. Device showed up in Bluetooth.
in my normal account in safe mode - showed no input/output device in Sound. Device showed up in Bluetooth.

Did get me thinking and managed to find a bit more:

remove the device from my phone (so disable Plantronic's multipoint feature that allows the headset to be used with two devices). No change in the status on the Sound preferences.
Disconnect the headset from the Mac (Bluetooth/disconnect)
Re-connect the headset to the Mac (Bluetooth/Connect) - shows up as expected
Also looks to get the same result if I just force the phone to disconnect from the headset and disconnect/connect from the Mac

Seems to point to Catalina/Plantroics Multipoint incompatibility (sigh...remember when Apple updates used to "just work"). Unfortunately, does not look like Plantronics has an option to update the firmware on its devices and it might be an edge case for MacOS...

Philip

Reply

Plantronics Bluetooth headset paried successfully but not showing in speaker input/output options

Similar questions