Jetson Nano: Bluetooth Headset Microphone Not Working (HSP/HFP Unsupported?)

Dear NVIDIA Support Team,

I am facing an issue with Bluetooth audio on my Jetson Nano (Mini) and would like your assistance in understanding whether this is a limitation of the current JetPack audio stack or a configuration problem.


Device / Software Details

  • Board: Jetson Nano (Mini / 2GB variant)

  • OS Image: Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (from official JetPack image)

  • GNOME: 3.28.2

  • Audio: PulseAudio 11.1

  • Bluetooth Stack: BlueZ (default from JetPack image)

  • Location: Kerala, India

Bluetooth is provided via a USB 2.0 Bluetooth dongle. I have also ordered a USB 4.0 Bluetooth dongle and plan to test it, but I want to confirm first if this is supported on the software side.


Issue Description

My Bluetooth headset pairs and connects successfully. Audio output works correctly in High Fidelity Playback (A2DP Sink) mode, but the headset microphone never appears as an input device.

From Sound Settings → Output, I can see the headset with two modes:

  • “High Fidelity Playback (A2DP Sink)”

  • “Headset Head Unit (HSP/HFP)”

When I select Headset Head Unit (HSP/HFP), the system does not properly switch to that mode, and in the Input tab there is still no Bluetooth input device listed.

Running pactl info gives:

  • When no BT headset is connected:

    • Default Sink: alsa_output.platform-sound.analog-stereo

    • Default Source: alsa_input.platform-sound.analog-stereo

  • When BT headset is connected in A2DP mode:

    • Default Sink: bluez_sink.<MAC>.a2dp_sink

    • Default Source: alsa_input.platform-sound.analog-stereo

A Bluetooth source such as bluez_source.<MAC>.headset_audio_gateway never appears.


Commands and Symptoms Observed

I have tried the following steps:

  1. Restarted PulseAudio and Bluetooth:

    • sudo killall pulseaudio

    • pulseaudio --kill

    • rm -rf ~/.config/pulse

    • pulseaudio --start --log-target=journal

    • sudo systemctl restart bluetooth

    • Rebooted the system multiple times

  2. Checked for PipeWire:

    • systemctl --user status pipewire
      Unit pipewire.service could not be found.
  3. Used bluetoothctl:

    • Controller and multiple devices (realme Buds, boAt Rockerz, etc.) are detected.

    • When trying to connect some devices manually, I sometimes see:

      • Failed to connect: org.bluez.Error.Failed

      • Connection failure: Connection refused

  4. Sound Settings:

    • Output via Bluetooth works fine (A2DP).

    • No Bluetooth microphone appears on the Input tab.

These behaviours suggest that A2DP playback is working, but HSP/HFP (headset profile for microphone) is not available in the current JetPack audio configuration.


Questions

  1. Does Jetson Nano with Ubuntu 18.04 / JetPack 4.x officially support Bluetooth HSP/HFP headset profiles (two-way audio with mic) using USB Bluetooth dongles?

  2. If yes, what configuration or additional components (e.g., ofono, specific BlueZ or PulseAudio modules) are required to enable the Bluetooth microphone?

  3. If no, is this a known limitation of JetPack 4.x on Jetson Nano?

  4. Are there any recommended Bluetooth chipsets or dongles that are known to support headset microphones on Jetson Nano, or is the limitation independent of the dongle used?

I would appreciate any guidance or confirmation so that I know whether to continue troubleshooting the software stack or switch to an alternative solution (e.g., USB sound card with wired microphone).

Thank you very much for your time and support.

Kind regards,
Fayaz Latheef
Kerala, India

Hi,
Please apply this and see if it works:
https://docs.nvidia.com/jetson/archives/l4t-archived/l4t-3276/index.html#page/Tegra%20Linux%20Driver%20Package%20Development%20Guide/hw_setup.html#wwpID0E0LO0HA

Thankyou for the reply but it didnt solve my issue. my real issue is HFP/HSP support to record audio. have anyone used jetson nano mini and used bluetooth headphones. kindly reply a solution or suggest me a bluetooth driver