Hello,
how can I find the bluetooth codec actively being used for my speakers? Up to macOS Catalina, one could click on the bluetooth icon while holding the option key and the codec was displayed. This feature is not working anymore in Big Sur.
I want to make sure the best available bluetooth codec is used for my Bang & Olufsen speakers.
Thanks!
Christoph
With your B&O speakers paired and music playing through them, press the option-key and click the bluetooth icon on the right menu bar. Select the B&O speakers on that drop down menu, and on the associated sub-menu, does it report the Active Codec?
What you see is what you get as there are no user assignable bluetooth codecs in Big Sur.
In 2018, Apple included a Bluetooth Explorer tool in the Additional Tools for Xcode package, and one could then force Apt-X or AAC codecs to be used. The Fall 2020 version of that installer no longer has the Bluetooth Explorer in it.
Also, in that timeframe, one could also run Terminal commands to coerce the bluetoothaudiod daemon to switch codecs, and once that was done, one could also specify the bitrate as well. On Big Sur, the bluetoothaudiod daemon is neither runnable by the user, nor can one set its preferences on the command-line.
So at this point, I don't see a means of controlling the codec used with those paired B&O speakers.
Unfortunately no, this is all I can see. Clicking on the device will disconnect it.
Plan B. Does B&O offer an iOS application for these speakers. If so, you may be able to tweak the audio quality via the app, where you have no control on macOS.
Nope, I cannot set the bluetooth codec in the app. There must be a control embedded in macOS (like it was previously), otherwise I have no control over it.
Thanks for enlightening us and doing the research!!!
@Apple, please elaborate!
Apple is not here. These are fellow user supported public communities hosted and administered by Apple. They are further served by community specialists in that Apple hosting organization.
Bluetooth Codec macOS Big Sur
