Bug 266028

Summary: Bluedevil will not connect to shared headset.
Product: [Unmaintained] solid Reporter: E.T. Anderson <firebringer11>
Component: bluetoothAssignee: Alex Fiestas <afiestas>
Status: RESOLVED FIXED    
Severity: normal    
Priority: NOR    
Version: unspecified   
Target Milestone: ---   
Platform: Ubuntu   
OS: Linux   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description E.T. Anderson 2011-02-10 22:21:23 UTC 
Version:           1.0 (using KDE 4.6.0) 
OS:                Linux

I share a bluetooth headset between my phone and my computer. In KDE 4.5 series, bluedevil would allow me to connect to the headset while the phone was also connected, but 4.6 does not allow this.

Odder still, I installed blueman - a GNOME bluetooth utility, and I could create the connection without problems. It would also show as connected in bluedevil.

If I turn off my phone (so that the computer is the only device connected to the headset), bluedevil will make the connection. Bluedevil also creates an exclusive lock on the device, such that if I connect the computer to the headset first, my phone cannot connect.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Establish pairing with headset on phone and computer individually.
2. Connect to headset with phone
3. Try to connect to headset from bluedevil while phone is also connected.

Actual Results:  
After several seconds, get a notification that the connection timed out.

Expected Results:  
The computer should connect to the audio sink service of the headphones, while leaving the hands free headset function connected to the phone.

The headset is a Motorola S305 set of bluetooth headphones. It functions as both a phone handset+microphone and as stereo headphones.
Comment 1 Alex Fiestas 2011-03-18 12:51:10 UTC 
My only guess in this matter is that bluez is connecting to an audio profile that doesn't support multiple clients.

Do you use PulseAudio? if so, can you try to change the Audio profile?

Thanks!
Comment 2 E.T. Anderson 2011-03-18 17:11:23 UTC 
I do use PulseAudio. I am not sure what you mean by audio profiles.

Also, what is Blueman doing that Bluedevil is not; since it can produce the expected behavior?
Comment 3 Alex Fiestas 2011-03-18 17:46:05 UTC 
Execute pavucontrol and check if you can change the audio profile.

BlueDevil connects to "Audio", and delegates the decision of what profile to use to PA or Alsa.

This is something we may change in 1.1 though.
Comment 4 E.T. Anderson 2011-03-18 22:52:55 UTC 
OK. When I connect using Blueman, I connect to the "High Fidelity Playback (A2DP)" profile. It shows "Telephony Duplex (HSP/HFP)" as a second available profile.

As I understand it, my phone connects to Telephony Duplex, and I would like my computer to connect to HiFi Playback.

PulseAudio always selects HiFi when I connect with Blueman, unless I manually change it.

I think you are right in comment #1 that each profile only allows one client, but there are two profiles, so phone and computer should both be able to connect.
Comment 5 Alex Fiestas 2011-10-08 19:10:50 UTC 
Adding a differentiation between both profiles in BlueDevil interface will worse the situation for users without Bluetooth knowledge, and that's something I don't want...

Gonna think what do to and implement the solution.
Comment 6 E.T. Anderson 2011-10-08 21:16:59 UTC 
I reinstalled (for other reasons) and this problem went away.
Comment 7 Alex Fiestas 2011-10-09 08:41:21 UTC 
Glad to know that everything is now working for you, guess that BlueZ guys figure it out :p

Thanks for reporting !