Bug 506466 - TOZO-A1 earbuds reconnect to Bluetooth in different mode sometimes
Summary: TOZO-A1 earbuds reconnect to Bluetooth in different mode sometimes
Status: RESOLVED UPSTREAM
Alias: None
Product: plasmashell
Classification: Plasma
Component: Bluetooth widget (other bugs)
Version First Reported In: 6.3.5
Platform: Arch Linux Linux
: NOR minor
Target Milestone: 1.0
Assignee: Plasma Bugs List
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2025-07-02 02:52 UTC by Sharif Haason
Modified: 2025-08-01 18:30 UTC (History)
1 user (show)

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Description Sharif Haason 2025-07-02 02:52:09 UTC
SUMMARY
I have some cheap earbuds (TOZO-A1 [1]) that sometimes reconnect in some kind of low-energy mode. The pitch of the sound is lower and it cuts out every few seconds. The way to fix it to is to disconnect and forget the earbuds, then immediately repair them.

Obviously I would prefer if this didn't happen in the first place. But that might be some kind of upstream issue with the driver that you can't do anything about.

Absent that, it would be nice to have a reset button to click which will automatically do what I described. Ideally, it would combine forgetting the thing clicked on, then it would pull up the pairing dialogue. It would be also cool for it to somehow highlight the device being re-paired, but I'm not sure how realistic it is in the implementation.

[1] https://www.tozostore.com/products/a1?variant=44909930217761

STEPS TO REPRODUCE
1. Connect a pair of TOZO-A1 earbuds to a KDE desktop.
2. Disconnect and reconnect it. You may have to try this a few times for this behavior to occur. It does not seem to depend on charge or any other observable property.
3. Listen to your new lo-fi, chopped and screwed filter on any sound playing on  your computer.

OBSERVED RESULT
Normal sound

EXPECTED RESULT
Low-pitched sound that clips every few seconds

Here is the requested system information from your terminal:

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS

- Linux:  
  6.15.2-arch1-1

- KDE Plasma Version:  
  plasmashell 6.3.5

- KDE Frameworks Version:  
  KDE Frameworks: 5.116.0  
  kf5-config: 1.0

- Qt Version:  
  Qt: 5.15.17  
  QMake version 3.1  
  Using Qt version 5.15.17 in /usr/lib

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This is my first KDE ticket so go easy 😅
Comment 1 Nate Graham 2025-08-01 18:30:14 UTC
I sympathize; Bluetooth earbuds are just the worst. :( Given the invasiveness of the repair procedure, I don't think it makes sense to offer a dedicated workaround for this. Instead, the issue would need to be investigated in Bluez or another deeper level of the software stack — assuming it's not a hardware issue.

Barring that, you can switch to wired earbuds which always work. This has been my personal solution to the modern plague that is Bluetooth earbuds.