Discord for Android won’t use Bluetooth headsets, for many

In recent weeks, Discord’s Android app has been having issues with sending call audio to Bluetooth headsets.

While originally starting out as a place for gamers to get connected, replacing older apps like Skype, Discord has rebranded itself as a home for communities of all varieties. Besides offering individual and group text chats, arguably the core use case for Discord is voice and video calling. As such, many have been understandably frustrated recently as Discord’s Android app has become almost entirely unable to connect to Bluetooth headphones.

More specifically, when you’re in a call or voice room, Discord for Android offers a button that allows you to switch between your available audio devices, including the smaller speaker for your ear, the louder speakerphone, and your Bluetooth headsets. While your Bluetooth headset may still appear in this list, for some, selecting it instead routes your audio to the speakerphone. Meanwhile, some others have reported that their audio is sent to both the earbuds and the speakerphone simultaneously.

The issue with Discord for Android has become more prevalent in recent weeks, with numerous reports of Bluetooth issues being shared on Twitter. Notably, Discord announced a “major overhaul” of its Android app at the beginning of August, but members of our team have experienced the issue for over a month.

All the same, as the revamped Discord — based on React Native, just like the iOS app — rolled out to more Android owners, the issue became far more prevalent. Anecdotally, this past weekend I had three friends complain about not being able to use their Bluetooth headphones with Discord on their Android phones, while my friends with iPhones haven’t noticed any issues.

In the short term, one potential workaround is to uninstall the app and sideload an older version of Discord’s Android app from a trustworthy source (like APKMirror). However, Discord has announced that these older versions “will officially sunset” on September 1, which could mean the app may refuse to work until you update it.

So far, Discord has not acknowledged these issues or offered any solutions to those affected. If you’re having issues with using your Bluetooth headset in Discord calls, sound off in the comments about what phone you’re using and what version of Android you’re on.