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iTunes 12.1 won’t play through bluetooth speakers

Ever since the latest iTunes update (12.1.0.71 64 bit), my music from iTunes won’t play through my bluetooth speaker connected to my laptop. Every other sound the computer makes plays through the speakers while iTunes plays through the laptop’s built in speakers.The speakers are also set as the default audio device for the computer. There aren’t any options in the iTunes preferences that would allow me to choose an audio device to play music through.


**My iTunes is operating on a Windows laptop and the bluetooth speakers are JBL if this helps, but everything was working fine until this new update**

Posted on Feb 15, 2015 8:47 AM

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Posted on Mar 8, 2017 2:21 PM

Like @drcoolguy said, changing the playback for Direct Sound helped. If you don't know how to do that, follow these:


1. Open iTunes.

2. In your Menu bar, click on Edit>Preferences. If you don't have the Menu bar, make sure you have the latest version of iTunes. If so, you can activate it by clicking on the Menu icon in the upper-left corner of iTunes.

User uploaded file

3. Go on the Playback section and then select "Direct Sound" into the Play Audio Using selection.

User uploaded file

4. Click OK

3 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Mar 8, 2017 2:21 PM in response to f1 drifter

Like @drcoolguy said, changing the playback for Direct Sound helped. If you don't know how to do that, follow these:


1. Open iTunes.

2. In your Menu bar, click on Edit>Preferences. If you don't have the Menu bar, make sure you have the latest version of iTunes. If so, you can activate it by clicking on the Menu icon in the upper-left corner of iTunes.

User uploaded file

3. Go on the Playback section and then select "Direct Sound" into the Play Audio Using selection.

User uploaded file

4. Click OK

Feb 15, 2015 8:49 AM in response to f1 drifter

There is an alternative version for 64-bit editions of Windows here:


iTunes 12.1 for Windows (64-bit — for older video cards)


that seems to address the most of the playback issues that some users have been reporting with the full 64-bit version of 12.1.0.77 - including problems with Bluetooth speakers where either sound is degraded or completely absent. The alternative installer here is the same architecture as most previous "64-bit" versions of iTunes, i.e., a 32-bit application with a 64-bit installer. The "for older video cards" label appears to be something of a misnomer as some people have reported that this corrects problems found on current / high-spec systems.


Some users have reported that after installing this alternative version it is necessary to adjust the "Play audio using" selection (normally to "Direct Sound" rather than "Windows Audio Session", though this may vary based on your audio hardware/drivers) in Edit > Preferences > Playback to restore glitch-free audio - one part of the reported symptoms is that the "Direct Sound" choice isn't available, usually in Windows 8. It may also be necessary to ensure that your Bluetooth speakers are active and selected as the default audio device before you run iTunes.


If this doesn't address the issue, you may want to think about reverting to iTunes 12.0 - see Turingtest2's notes on Troubleshooting issues with iTunes for Windows updates for steps needed to completely remove all installed iTunes components, and for links to the 12.0 installers.

iTunes 12.1 won’t play through bluetooth speakers

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