Windows 10 - 20H2 still breaks Bluetooth

October 2021 update: We noticed in Windows 10 20H2, Build 19042.1288, the issue has been solved by Microsoft. The Keep Bluetooth connection alive setting is not required any more.

The latest Windows 10 version 20H2 (October 2020 update), still has the same Bluetooth bug as Windows 10 version 2004 (May 2020 update). On some older Apple MacBooks (up to model year 2017) Bluetooth is broken. You can use your Bluetooth device only for the amount of time you really use it, if you rest for 10 seconds, it's frozen and doesn't wake up any more.

While this was always the case in earlier Windows 10 versions, you could simply turn off Bluetooth adapter power saving to fix this problem. This is not possible any more!

Windows 10 - 2004 made changes to the power management of the Bluetooth adapter. In the Device Manager the "Power Management" tab of the Bluetooth adapter is gone, so you (or we) can't turn off power saving any more.

This change affects any Bluetooth device and occurs even without the Magic Utilities installed. We just tested a Logitech Bluetooth mouse and a Microsoft Surface Arc Mouse with the very same issue.

It might only be solved by Microsoft as the actual Bluetooth adapter drivers are part of Windows 10 and not provided by Apple BootCamp. We already reported this urgent problem to Microsoft.

However version 3.0.9.9 has a workaround.

Other permanent workarounds at this moment in time are:

  • Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse 1+2 and Magic Trackpad 1:
    Downgrade to Windows 10 - version 1909.
  • Magic Keyboards and Magic Trackpad 2:
    Use a wired USB connection.

Here are some references with the same issue on other computers: