Switching tab, audio gets muted

Brave Browser
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1

Description of the issue: I’m using bluetooth headphones OnePlus 4. When I use Brave, the headphones just randomly stop working. I can still see Spotify playing a track and Windows audio shows VU going up, but no audio comes out.

Steps to Reproduce (add as many as necessary): I think it might be something to do with switching tabs. I was searching some pictures in google image search and Steam when it just cut off.

Actual Result (gifs and screenshots are welcome!): I don’t know what this means. I have no audio until I restart my computer.

Expected result: Uh?

Reproduces how often: Every day.

Operating System and Brave Version(See the About Brave page in the main menu): Brave 1.87.190 (Official Build) (64-bit)

Chromium: 145.0.7632.109

Win 10.0.19045 Build 19045

Additional Information: I’ve tried restarting the windows audio services and reinstalling the devices, no help.

2

@Ianuarius

Things to try (according to Perplexity.ai)

1. Check Windows per‑app output (Volume Mixer)

When the sound disappears:

  1. Right‑click the speaker icon in the taskbar → Open Volume mixer.
  2. Look for entries like Brave, Spotify, Steam.
  3. For each of those apps, set Output device explicitly to your Bluetooth headphones (OnePlus), instead of “Default”.

If that immediately restores sound, then the issue is audio routing, and pinning Brave to the headset may keep it stable.

2. Turn off hardware acceleration in Brave

Sometimes Chromium‑based browsers misbehave with Bluetooth audio when hardware acceleration is enabled.

  1. In Brave’s address bar, go to:
    brave://settings/system
  2. Turn off: “Use hardware acceleration when available”.
  3. Close all Brave windows, then reopen and test again (switching tabs, image search, etc.).

3. Disable the “Hands‑Free” / headset profile in Windows

Windows often exposes Bluetooth headsets as two devices:

  • A high‑quality Stereo/Headphones device (for listening).
  • A low‑quality Hands‑Free/Headset device (for calls, with mic).

Switching between these can cause audio cut‑outs or glitches.

  1. Right‑click the speaker icon → Sound settings → More sound settings (or “Sounds”).
  2. In the Playback tab:
    • Find any Hands‑Free / “Headset” version of your OnePlus headphones and Disable it.
    • Leave only the Stereo / Headphones device enabled.
  3. In the Recording tab:
    • Find the OnePlus “Hands‑Free” microphone and Disable it for testing.

Then reconnect the headphones and test Brave again.

4. Check Bluetooth power management

Windows may be momentarily powering down the Bluetooth adapter, which can kill audio and then recover.

  1. Press Win + X → Device Manager.
  2. Expand Bluetooth and Network adapters.
  3. For each Bluetooth adapter:
    • Right‑click → Properties → Power Management tab.
    • Uncheck: “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.”
  4. Do the same for your Wi‑Fi adapter (it is sometimes combined with Bluetooth on the same chip).

Reboot and test again.

5. Re‑pair the headset and remove other BT audio devices

A bad pairing or multiple devices fighting for the same profile can cause dropouts.

  1. Go to Settings → Devices → Bluetooth & other devices.
  2. Remove your OnePlus headphones.
  3. Put the headphones in pairing mode and add them again from scratch.
  4. Temporarily remove or disconnect other Bluetooth audio devices and game controllers, then test.

6. Compare with another browser

To see if this is Brave‑specific:

  • Keep Spotify, Steam playing.
  • Test the same sites (YouTube, Google Images, etc.) in Edge or Chrome.
  • Switch tabs the same way and see if audio still cuts out.
3

Little late to this one, but I did some research on this. Apparently users with Chrome itself have had some interesting history with Bluetooth headsets, but usually only Google Chrome related (because Google’s NTP has voice search which takes over, but Brave does NOT have this afaik).

From looking through flags, while I don’t think it’s what’s causing it, it might potentially be one source:

image
image944×106 5.17 KB

(Though, I’d expect the VU meters to duck as well, and you did say they are moving). You could try disabling this flag and see if it changes behavior.

(Beyond this one flag, I’m not seeing much else, but I would be curious, what happens if you try different Bluetooth headphones/speakers if you have another? Windows 10 and 11’s Bluetooth audio stack is…interesting.)

If that flag doesn’t work, do other Chrome based browsers behave the same? (That will help determine, is this a Chromium issue like it has in the past, or is it Brave specific?) If it happens with other Chrome based browsers, if you don’t mind try Firefox as well (as this will help determine if it’s Windows 10’s own audio mixing service just faltering here).

(I am glad you mentioned you tried restarting the Windows audio service, most don’t know how!)