Whenever your Android pairs with Bluetooth headphones, headphones or speakers, you can force it to use the best codecs rather than system default. The Hidden version of Developer Options’s hidden tweak, which enables you to switch your device into high-fidelity codecs instead of standard ones so that the sound quality is richer.
Why System Selection on Bluetooth Audio Codecs Isn’t Good Enough
When two devices set up a Bluetooth pairing, information travels through ‘piconet’ mini network. This information includes audio details if both the sender and receiving device produce sound.
Unlike the challenge, this is that raw, uncompressed high quality sound takes several megabytes of data to transfer over a narrow Bluetooth bandwidth. This is a wireless compression of this audio (at the Android phone end), so you have to compress it yourself. After decompressing at the other end, it will then de-decompression (including wireless earbuds) and its own headphones.
This type of compression is achieved by Bluetooth audio codecs like SBC, aptX, an adx HD and LDAC (LDAC) which uses such compression. Trying to preserve as much of the original sound detail as possible, each of them shrinks data by a large (4-10 times) amount. Depending on the range at which these Bluetooth codecs max out, how much exactly depends on what this is.
- SBC and basic Bluetooth codecs top out at around 328 kbps
- AAC does a similar transfer at a measly 320 kbps
- aptX HD sends data at 576 kbps
- LDAC offers the highest transfer rate at 990 kbps
And of course, it is better to switch from one like LDAC instead of the default system selection of audio codecs built into your devices. So you can squeeze a lot more data through the narrow Bluetooth bandwidth pipe for richer, clearer sounds.
It’s necessary to connect your Android phone and the earpiece with both you device. Otherwise, you could not see the entire list of options for audio codecs.
How to Force the Highest Bluetooth Audio Codec
Depending on your device settings, you can force the highest Bluetooth audio codecs in Android’s Developer Options mode.
Firstly, make sure your pairing earset/headset device has the highest codecs you match with first. This information can be found on a number of websites for technical specifications or the user manual.
- Sony WF-1000XM5: this popular Sony earbud supports up to LDAC
- Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 mainly supports SBC, AAC, LE Audio/LC3 but no LDAC
- Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro Supports SBC, AAC, LDAC and Samsung’s proprietary Seamless Codec (SSC) which is the most compatible for Samsung users like me.
Next, turn on Bluetooth and pair both the Android phone and your connecting ear buds/headphones or speaker.
It’s also necessary for us to enable Developer mode on your Android phone. You have to go to About Device/Phone for this, and select Version. Please Click Version No, a ‘s click? The Developer mode appears on screen 7 times for the developer mode to appear in-screen. For most devices, this is the case with . Another of my Samsung Galaxy phone I had to choose Build number on another.
After this go to Settings ->***System and update, where you will find the menu items **Developer Options. If you click here to go to the next page for , click.
Scroll all the way down the page to view various Bluetooth options. Select the option called Bluetooth audio codec.
default is a system selection value, which you will find here. In this case, instead switch to a more compatible codec supported on both devices (e.g. LDAC in the example) for instance.
Press backspace, . Both devices support it, so you can do a few more changes now that both are gray and they will appear in . Bluetooth audio bits per sample can be up to 32. It can also be set to “Stereo” audio channel mode.
In which field you max out the most, it is bigger audio file but causes better sound quality. The method of a Bluetooth profiles is the basis for this, which depends on how well-known it works.
Why the Right Bluetooth Audio Codecs Produce Best Sound Quality
A superior quality of advanced Bluetooth codecs such as LDAC or proprietary code C (Samath’s SSC) is attributed to their higher quality compression algorithms.
While all codecs are lossy transferring sounds, high-end ones use advanced psychoacoustic techniques. These are based on the perception of sound by the human auditory system. If there are quieter tones near louder sounds, they are intelligently merged into the background for a more subtle effect.
In addition, higher-bitrate codecs take deep harmonic sounds (and high-frequency airiness) that are lost in lower-rate compression. This causes a reduced distortion effect that helps you hear each instrument separately, something audiophiles love.
I forced the highest Bluetooth audio codecs and a bit of an irritating limitation. I have a Android phone and the ear device that supported the codecs, but they were reset when disconnect/reconnect, song changes, phone reboot or even app switches were made. Following this I had to manually select the matched codecs for .
The above hack, besides this minor flaw, is very real and supports all Android devices from Oreo 8 to the present day. 0 . if you want another setting to reverse these changes, you can easily reverse them and don’t need rooting or third-party apps.
Thanks for reading Use This Android Hack to Get the Best Bluetooth Audio Codecs
