If you’re suddenly having trouble connecting any of your Bluetooth devices to your Windows PC this week, don’t be alarmed — this is by design. As Windows Latest observed on Wednesday, the latest security updates for a variety of Windows OS versions (including Windows 10) feature a patch for Bluetooth devices that Microsoft deems “unsecure.” All versions of Windows 10 received this update, as did Windows 8.1.
If you’re currently using any outdated Bluetooth devices on a regular basis, you may experience issues pairing those devices with your Windows computer once the update is installed. Here’s Microsoft’s description of the issue:
You may experience issues pairing, connecting or using certain Bluetooth devices after installing security updates released June 11, 2019. These security updates address a security vulnerability by intentionally preventing connections from Windows to unsecure Bluetooth devices. Any device using well-known keys to encrypt connections may be affected, including certain security fobs.
Microsoft’s proposed solution for the issue “contact the manufacturer of your Bluetooth device to determine if a device update [exists].” If there are no updates for the device, you’re out of luck for the time being, unless you just avoid the update altogether or roll back your Windows computer after the update is installed.
The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) entry for the update seems to suggest that only some devices running Android 7.0 or later are affected by the pairing issue, but doesn’t name any specific devices. You can check the Event Log (which Ghacks explains here) to see if your Bluetooth device is failing to pair because of the update. But whatever you do, don’t avoid making your computer safer to use a Bluetooth device.
