Dear Berry

Hello again dear readers. It's time to once again open up the mailbag and clear up any BlackBerry woes you may have. This week's question comes from Steve and he writes:

I have a bold 9900 with Bluetooth which works great but I have a question...how do I use my Bluetooth to listen to media from my blackberry?.
Thanks S

After a few emails, Steve needed to know if his current Bluetooth headset was compatible but didn't know which model he had. All he knew was that he owned a Plantronics Voyager with dual pairing. Not all Bluetooth headsets possess the ability to stream media and some manufacturers have actually re-released the same model with the feature which is even more confusing. 

Dear Steve,

In order to stream music from your device to your headset you need what's called A2DP capability. Simply put, it's a profile that lets you stream audio over a Bluetooth connection. Both devices must support this feature. In this case, we're going with the BlackBerry Bold 9900 which has the profile. Therefore, your Bluetooth headset must also possess this protocol or you'll only be able to answer phone calls.

Now here's my own personal methods that I've employed in the past to see if any of my old Bluetooth headsets possess the capability to stream audio. I've found these tips to work so that way you won't have to scramble for the owners' manual or the original box. In your case, Plantronics released a few different models under that name; some had the streaming capability while others didn't. In this case I'll be using my Plantronics Voyager Pro+ as an example.

Method # 1 - Does the headset appear in the menu in the media player?

Headset Menu Option

If your headset is compatible all you would have to do is click the menu button while in the music application and select the option to activate your headset (it will show the model). In this case my Plantronics Voyager Pro+, which is A2DP compatible, appears in the menu. If all you see is the option to "Activate Speakerphone" or "Activate Handset" then it's probably not able to stream media stored on your device.


Method # 2 - Does the connection box show the Stereo Audio profile?

Stereo Audio

There's a little box that should pop up each time your accessory connects that says whether or not you've made the connection with your headset. For example, it should say "Connection to Voyager Succeeded." Below that line it lists all the features or profiles that headset supports. As some manufacturers use the word "Stereo" to describe the A2DP Bluetooth profile that is what we'll be looking for. If only "Handsfree" appears then you do not have the ability to stream music but only answer phone calls.

Thank you for sending this in Steve! If you need further assistance, be sure to hit up our BlackBerry Help page or check out all of the stereo headsets at ShopCrackBerry.

Let's turn this over to the CrackBerry Nation and see what they think. This was just a tip I've learned when sorting through all of the headsets I accumulated over the years. I've found this to work devices running OS5 and higher. Do you agree with what I told Steve? Sound off in the comments below.

-Berry

Have a question about BlackBerry etiquette? Need advice on how to cope with your BlackBerry addiction? Dear Berry has you covered and there's no question too big or problem too small. Submit any of your BlackBerry woes by email to [email protected] or on Twitter @DearBerryCB.

See you next week!

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