HFP
(Hands-Free Profile)
A Bluetooth profile (mode) designed to enable a two-way wireless speaker-phone to be used with a Bluetooth phone.
Although it can be used with a desktop speaker-phone accessory, its most common use is with car kits. A Bluetooth car kit will use HFP to connect to a Bluetooth phone, allowing phone calls to take place via the car's audio system (or an installed speaker) while the phone stays safely in a pocket or purse.
HFP is one of the most common Bluetooth profiles. Nearly all phones support it, including ones that do not support Headset Profile (HSP). Since all modern Bluetooth headsets support both HSP and HFP, phones without HSP can still use Bluetooth headsets via HFP.
See: HSP
A newer profile called TMAP (Telephony and Media Audio Profile) is designed to replace both HFP and HSP. TMAP is part of LE Audio, the newer standard for all kinds of audio over Bluetooth.
See: LE Audio
HFP does not support stereo audio.
See: Bluetooth
Last updated Aug 15, 2023 by Rich Brome
Editor in Chief Rich became fascinated with cell phones in 1999, creating mobile web sites for phones with tiny black-and-white displays and obsessing over new phone models. Realizing a need for better info about phones, he started Phone Scoop in 2001, and has been helming the site ever since. Rich has spent two decades researching and covering every detail of the phone industry, traveling the world to tour factories, interview CEOs, and get every last spec and photo Phone Scoop readers have come to expect. As an industry veteran, Rich is a respected voice on phone technology of the past, present, and future.
