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Windows10 Finally Gets full AirPods Support in imminent update

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The upcoming Windows 10 update is set to boost connected AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max by adding support for Apple's recommended AAC Bluetooth codec.

A post on the Windows Blog details Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 21370, which was released yesterday for Windows Insider Program members. This build focuses on improvements to Bluetooth audio features, including AAC support, and some streamlining of the Windows 10 UI.

Insider Preview Builds are different from full Windows updates because they exist to test new features, performance improvements, and bug fixes, so anything included in an Insider Preview Build could soon thereafter become an official very likely to become additional Windows 10 features.

AAC support may improve sound quality when playing AAC files (yes, this is both a file type and a Bluetooth codec) on supported speakers and headphones (AirPods models are prime candidates).

Currently, Windows 10 only supports the SBC and aptX codecs; none of the AirPods support the higher quality aptX, so AAC files from sources such as Apple Music must be encoded to the lower quality SBC codec which is a lower-quality SBC codec. This conversion process degrades the sound quality even more significantly than that obtained from the lossy SBC. Therefore, if both Windows and headphones support the AAC codec, you can skip this process and enjoy better sounding songs.

The update will also tidy up the "Select Playback Device" menu that can be opened from the Windows 10 taskbar, so that certain Bluetooth devices will not appear twice. Currently, a device such as a headset may appear multiple times, even if only one of the selections is the playback that actually uses that device, but in this Insider Preview Build, only one endpoint per device will appear and Windows will automatically select the correct one.

In addition to these ongoing, smaller updates, Microsoft plans to significantly redesign the OS in the next Windows 10 Sun Valley update. There is no firm release date for this update, but it is expected to be released later this year.