Headsets: General Notes

A summary of aspects to consider when choosing a headset for your GreenLink Softphone and which headsets are supported by GreenLink.

Important to Know

• Headsets are a dynamically changing market, and manufacturers update their devices often. Users are advised to test any headset prior to purchase to ensure the device's functionality meets their needs.
• We maintain a large pool of devices, wired and wireless, that we test against.
• We always test against our most current softphone releases.
• We do not normally test new models of headsets against older versions of the software.
• We work closely with headset manufacturers to try to support a wide variety of headsets.
• We make every effort to try to resolve all headset issues when reported to us or discovered through our testing.
• For mobile devices, we support headsets that connect via the audio jack or via Bluetooth only.
• For Windows and MacOS devices, we support headsets that connect via USB, Bluetooth, or audio jack. We strongly recommend the use of the hardware manufacturer’s software to enable the widest range of features.
• Note that the sound quality of wired headsets and wireless headsets may differ. Generally, the sound quality of the wired version is expected to be more reliable than in the wireless version.

Headsets Brands and Supporting Software

Poly

As of Bria X 1.0.0, Bria 4.5 / X-Lite 4.9.5, users are required to install Poly (Plantronics) Hub software on their desktops; this software can be downloaded from Poly's Website. Please refer to the above table for the list of compatible Poly devices.

By installing the Poly Hub software, users will gain access to some / all of the following functionalities: synchronization between softphone and headset for mute, volume up/down, hold call and answer/hang-up buttons; ability to switch audio between devices (e.g. from headset to the built-in speaker), optimized interactions when running multiple softphones (e.g. Skype and Bria), as well as core functionality such as incoming/outgoing call ringing on the headset and call audio support.

Jabra

As of Bria 4.7 and X-Lite 4.9.7, Jabra users are required to install Jabra Direct software on their desktops (Windows, Mac). The software for Windows can be downloaded from Jabra's Website, while the software for Mac can be downloaded from Jabra's Website. Please refer to the above table for the list of compatible Jabra devices.

By installing the Jabra Direct software, users will gain access to some / all of the following functionalities: synchronization between softphone and USB headset for mute, hold call, and answer/hang-up buttons; volume up / down; ability to switch audio between devices (e.g. from headset to built-in speaker; core functionality such as incoming/outgoing call ringing on the headset and call audio support.

EPOS

As of Bria 4.8 and X-Lite 4.9.8, EPOS users are required to install EPOS Connect software on their desktop computers. This software can be downloaded from EPOS's Website. Please refer to the above table for the list of compatible EPOS devices.

By installing the EPOS Connect software, users will gain access to some / all of the following functionalities: synchronization between softphone and headset for mute, answer/hang-up buttons; volume up / down, hold / remove from hold; ability to switch audio between devices (e.g. from headset to the built-in speaker), as well as core functionality such as incoming/outgoing call ringing on the headset and call audio support.

Headsets on Mobile Devices

Android Devices

Android devices often have carrier-specific software loaded on them, which can affect your operation. Android is a highly customizable system, which presents a challenge for supporting accessories like headsets.  Each manufacturer can choose to replace the standard Bluetooth system in Android with an alternative version.  Each carrier can also choose to replace the Bluetooth system with an alternative version. This may impact how two phones from the same manufacturer support Bluetooth, even if they are the same model and if they come from two different carriers. In addition, different software installed on the device can affect how the headset operates on the device.

Each version of Android itself can also affect how your device interacts with a headset. For these reasons, we maintain a pool of the most common headsets and phones with a variety of carrier firmware that we test against. We test using the most current firmware for that device and carrier. We maintain a pool of the most common headsets and phones with a variety of carrier firmware that we test against. We test using the most current firmware for that device and carrier. We do not test against custom ROMs, nor can we determine compatibility with any headset or phone using a custom ROM. Given the wide variety of custom ROMs and the very nature of custom ROMs it is not possible for us to test them. We do not test against all possible carrier ROMs and it is not always possible to get access to these ROMs due to licensing and other restrictions.

If you have a headset that does not support the basic functionality, we ask that you provide the following information when contacting us:

• Your phone manufacturer and model.
• Your OS build. This is usually found in the About Phone section in Settings.
• The name of the carrier who originally sold you the phone.
• Exact model and manufacturer of the headset, with an approximate date of purchase.

iOS Devices

For our testing, we use unlocked devices purchased directly from Apple as our test phones, and we test these against a pool of devices.  As the vast majority of users generally update iOS devices to the most recent firmware, we always test against the most recent version of Apple's iOS software. We do not test against older versions of iOS.  We do not support devices with jailbroken firmware, as jailbreaks often affect the performance of the device in unknown ways. We don't prevent you from using our software with jailbroken devices, but we can only support official Apple firmware.