Bluetooth audio stuck in A2DP profile ([pulseaudio] module-bluez5-device.c: Refused to switch profile to headset_head_unit: Not connected)

[Chris Halse Rogers]

I've got a pair of Parot Zik bluetooth headphones, with inbuilt microphones and such.

The Sound control panel offers a “Profile” dropdown, with choice of A2DP and HSP profiles, but selecting the HSP profile (a) doesn't add an input source to the “Inputs” tab, and (b) doesn't stop the headphones playing stereo sound, indicating that it hasn't actually been switched to HSP profile (which is, AFAIK, mono).

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 17.10
Package: pulseaudio 1:10.0-2ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.11.0-10.15-generic 4.11.8
Uname: Linux 4.11.0-10-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: zfs zunicode zavl zcommon znvpair nvidia_uvm nvidia_drm nvidia_modeset nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.20.5-0ubuntu5
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC2: chris 7755 F.... pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/controlC1: chris 7755 F.... pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/pcmC0D0c: chris 7755 F...m pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/controlC0: chris 7755 F.... pulseaudio
CurrentDesktop: GNOME
Date: Fri Jul 14 16:27:09 2017
SourcePackage: pulseaudio
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 02/20/2017
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 1.05.02dRSA1 02/20/2017
dmi.board.asset.tag: Tag 12345
dmi.board.name: Oryx Pro
dmi.board.vendor: System76
dmi.board.version: oryp3-ess
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Tag
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: System76
dmi.chassis.version: N/A
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvr1.05.02dRSA102/20/2017:bd02/20/2017:svnSystem76:pnOryxPro:pvroryp3-ess:rvnSystem76:rnOryxPro:rvroryp3-ess:cvnSystem76:ct10:cvrN/A:
dmi.product.name: Oryx Pro
dmi.product.version: oryp3-ess
dmi.sys.vendor: System76

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Stefan Bedorf (cruz-r)]

I am affected by this problem and possibly another very similar issue using a Sony MDR-100ABN headset.
Using two different computers (one with BT built-in, one with a USB-Dongle), both running Ubuntu 17.04 (same bluez and pulseaudio versions), I experience different behavior.

On PC1 I have the same error as described but after several pairing/unpairing or connecting/disconnecting tries this can is often resolved. This means switching between A2DP (stereo output) and HFP/HSP (mono output, mono input) is working just fine.
Ultimately this looks like an actual bt connection issue to me.

On PC2 the behavior is similar, but with a different error message: "[pulseaudio] backend-native.c: connect(): Die angeforderte Funktion ist nicht implementiert" (I think the original libc string is "Function not implemented"). Here I haven't been able to get HFP/HSP working at all.

Both systems show the headset connected as 'Headset', 'Handsfree' and 'Audio-Ausgabe' (='Audio output').
The output from bluetoothctl is also the same:
<snip>
[h.ear (MDR-100ABN)]# show
Controller 00:15:83:E8:XX:XX (masked)
 Name: XXX (masked)
 Alias: XXX (masked)
 Class: 0x0c0104
 Powered: yes
 Discoverable: yes
 Pairable: yes
 UUID: Headset AG (00001112-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb)
 UUID: Generic Attribute Profile (00001801-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb)
 UUID: A/V Remote Control (0000110e-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb)
 UUID: Generic Access Profile (00001800-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb)
 UUID: PnP Information (00001200-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb)
 UUID: A/V Remote Control Target (0000110c-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb)
 UUID: Audio Sink (0000110b-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb)
 UUID: Audio Source (0000110a-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb)
 Modalias: usb:v1D6Bp0246d052B
 Discovering: no
</snip>

Software versions:
pulseaudio, pulseaudio-module-bluetooth and pulseaudio-utils: 1:10.0-1ubuntu2 (amd64)
bluez: 5.43-0ubuntu1 (amd64)

Please let me know what other type of information you need and I will try to provide that.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Keep an eye on bug 1720684, where upstream now has a fix that might help.

[Alexey Zagarin (zagarin)]

I have a similar issue. I'm trying to get the mic working on Beats X headset. These series of patches helped me to solve the issue:

https://patchwork.freedesktop.org/patch/178198/
https://patchwork.freedesktop.org/patch/178199/
https://patchwork.freedesktop.org/patch/178200/
https://patchwork.freedesktop.org/patch/178201/

Can we get them upstream?
I'm on Ubuntu 18.04.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Alexey,

Indeed it appears that PulseAudio, even upstream, is missing those patches. However this is not the right place to request their inclusion.

Please talk to the upstream PulseAudio people instead:
https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/PulseAudio/Documentation/User/Community/

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Thank you for reporting this bug to Ubuntu.
Ubuntu 17.10 (artful) reached end-of-life on July 19, 2018.

See this document for currently supported Ubuntu releases:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases

We appreciate that this bug may be old and you might not be interested in discussing it any more. But if you are then please upgrade to the latest Ubuntu version and re-test. If you then find the bug is still present in the newer Ubuntu version, please add a comment here telling us which new version it is in and change the bug status to Confirmed.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for pulseaudio (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]