Using wireless headphones on a computer is often not a great experience, but Microsoft has just taken an important step to fix that. With the release of the October 2026 update for Windows 11, the company has rolled out a major internal improvement to the Bluetooth connection system. Thanks to this patch, Apple AirPods now pair with the PC up to 15 seconds faster.

According to the technical details shared by Microsoft, this cut in waiting time is included from build 26200.8737 of the operating system. Although the exact figure depends on each model and on the conditions of the computer, several tests point to a speedup of close to 20% when pairing headphones. In fact, this benefit also helps models from other makers, such as the Samsung Galaxy Buds.

Beyond pairing speed, the update fixes long-standing bugs that hurt the stability of the system. First, the Quick Settings in Windows 11 now show exactly whether a headset is connected or disconnected. This avoids the annoying bug where a disconnected device still showed as active in the taskbar.

Microsoft has also fixed the problem where the main Bluetooth switch in settings did not turn the Bluetooth radio off completely. In addition, when you change the volume with the touch controls on the AirPods during a call, the floating Windows 11 volume window now appears on screen right away. Finally, the patch widens microphone support to cut down the annoying voice dropouts in video calls.

To check whether you already have these improvements, just make sure in the system settings that your computer has build 26100.9711 or higher. However, Microsoft is rolling it out step by step over the next few weeks.