Why Bluetooth 'multipoint' often fails — and how LE Audio might help

Headphone makers often promote “multipoint” as a way to keep a headset connected to two devices at once and switch audio between them. The catch is that multipoint isn’t an official Bluetooth feature; it’s an application built on top of Bluetooth’s toolbox. "[Bluetooth multipoint] is not a specification," Henry Wong of the Bluetooth SIG says.

Under the hood, manufacturers pick which Bluetooth profiles and codecs to support. Headphones typically juggle profiles such as Handset Profile (HSP), Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP), Hands-Free Profile (HFP), and Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP).

That combination can produce awkward moments: a phone notification can trigger HFP and briefly interrupt a laptop video stream. This interruption isn't a bug; it's simply how the Bluetooth technology works. How a headset prioritizes those profiles is left to each maker.

bluetooth, multipoint, le audio, bluetooth sig, a2dp, hfp, hsp, avrcp, codecs, headphones