1. Please describe the problem: When using Bluetooth audio with a Realtek RTL8852CE wireless/Bluetooth combo controller, audio stutters significantly during WiFi activity. Through testing, I've identified the issue is specifically caused by the newer rtw8852c_fw-1.bin firmware (version 0.27.97.0, hash a4b6bfdd) used in recent kernels. The older firmware version (0.27.56.14, hash 1942d927) works perfectly without stuttering. The issue manifests as 4+ second gaps in Bluetooth audio during network activity. Kernel logs show System Error Recovery (SER) events with error codes 0x999, 0x1000, 0x1001, and 0x1002 that directly correspond to these audio drops. A temporary workaround is to remove or rename the newer firmware file, forcing fallback to the older version. I've documented this issue on the Fedora forums: https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/bluetooth-audio-stuttering-during-wifi-activity-on-rtl8852ce 2. What is the Version-Release number of the kernel: 6.13.5-200.fc41.x86_64 3. Did it work previously in Fedora? If so, what kernel version did the issue *first* appear? Old kernels are available for download at https://koji.fedoraproject.org/koji/packageinfo?packageID=8 : Yes, it worked correctly with kernel 6.11.4-301.fc41.x86_64. The issue first appeared with kernel 6.12.9-200.fc41.x86_64 and persists in all later kernels (including 6.13.5). 4. Can you reproduce this issue? If so, please provide the steps to reproduce the issue below: Yes, 100% reproducible: 1. Boot Fedora 41 with kernel 6.13.5-200.fc41.x86_64 (or any 6.12+ kernel) 2. Connect any Bluetooth audio device (headphones, earbuds, speaker) 3. Start audio playback (music, video, etc.) 4. Perform any network activity (speedtest, downloads, browsing) 5. Observe Bluetooth audio stutters/drops during network activity 6. To verify it's a firmware issue, rename /lib/firmware/rtw89/rtw8852c_fw-1.bin 7. Reboot and repeat steps 2-4 - the stuttering will be gone with old firmware 5. Does this problem occur with the latest Rawhide kernel? To install the Rawhide kernel, run ``sudo dnf install fedora-repos-rawhide`` followed by ``sudo dnf update --enablerepo=rawhide kernel``: Yes, I've tested with the latest Rawhide kernel and the issue persists as long as the rtw8852c_fw-1.bin firmware is present. 6. Are you running any modules that not shipped with directly Fedora's kernel?: No, only standard modules included with Fedora's kernel. 7. Please attach the kernel logs. You can get the complete kernel log for a boot with ``journalctl --no-hostname -k > dmesg.txt``. If the issue occurred on a previous boot, use the journalctl ``-b`` flag. I've created a GitHub repository with comprehensive diagnostic data: https://github.com/anfreire/rtw8852ce-bluetooth-debug The repository includes: - The diagnostic script used to gather data (rtw8852ce-debug.sh) - Complete logs with the broken firmware (rtw8852ce-logs-broken-fw-0.27.97.0/) - Complete logs with the working firmware (rtw8852ce-logs-working-fw-0.27.56.14/) The logs clearly show the firmware crashes in the broken version and their direct correlation with Bluetooth interruptions. Reproducible: Always
I'm suffering from the exact same issue you're describing. Bluetooth audio started stuttering after kernel 6.12.x versions. I'm currently installing 6.11.11 kernel manually. I've opened this https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2341650 ticket while ago. It seems your post contains lot more useful information than mine. Thanks for your detailed post. This feels like a punishment for buying a Lenovo.
(In reply to shinebayar.gansukh from comment #1) > I'm suffering from the exact same issue you're describing. Bluetooth audio > started stuttering after kernel 6.12.x versions. I'm currently installing > 6.11.11 kernel manually. > I've opened this https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2341650 ticket > while ago. It seems your post contains lot more useful information than > mine. Thanks for your detailed post. This feels like a punishment for buying > a Lenovo. Thank you for your message—it's reassuring to know that others are encountering the same issue. I completely understand your frustration. This persistent problem has significantly impacted my user experience, and despite our efforts to report and document it, it seems to have received limited attention. I've even considered selling my Lenovo device due to this ongoing issue. I appreciate you sharing your Bugzilla ticket. By consolidating our reports and findings, we can hopefully bring more visibility to this matter. In the meantime, I've developed a temporary workaround that addresses the Bluetooth audio stuttering. This script reverts the firmware to a known stable version (0.27.56.14), which has been effective in mitigating the issue: Temporary Workaround: https://github.com/anfreire/rtw8852c-fedora-fix Please note that this is not an official solution but a stopgap measure until an official fix is released. I hope this helps, and let's continue to collaborate to bring this issue to the attention of the developers.
Same issue here! I'm using a Dell Inspiron 5645 with the rtw8852ce WiFi/Bluetooth chipset. Unfortunately, this issue makes Fedora quite difficult to use for everyday tasks such as listening to music or participating in Zoom calls. I hope a fix can be found soon. Thank you for your continued work on this.
Same here on Fedora 42 (ThinkBook 16 AMD). This makes actually impossible to work (like calls) using Bluetooth headphones.
Can confirm this is also an issue on Manjaro (25.0.3 Zetar) machines with a rtw8852ce (specifically using a ThinkPad E14) running kernel 6.14.6-2 with the `rtw8852c_fw-1.bin` driver (from linux-firmware 20250508.788aadc8-1). Going to the older driver by renaming the newer one does also fix this stuttering issue there.