Please go easy on me, I’m not very tech savvy. So I got a new android phone, and everything is ok except the audio. This is using the same headphones I used with my old phone, so I’m not talking about improving the phone’s speakers or headphones, but the quality of the sound as it is processed in the phone itself.
There is an equalizer (Dolby Atmos) but after trying every preset and option available I give up. They all sound tinny or kind of muffled. My old phone had just a basic “Moto Audio” and it was great. Both phones are Motorola and I’m disappointed to see this downgrade.
So the question is, can I install something to fix this and if yes, what type of app am I looking for?
Thanks
Are they Bluetooth headphones? If so, check the protocols supported by your phone, and by the headphones, e.g. aptX vs LDAC vs SBC. It’s possible that it’s not a “downgrade” on the new phone, but rather an upgrade to a better protocol, but unfortunately not one compatible with your headphones, so you end up using a low quality fallback.
You may also want to check your settings, and see if you can select a specific protocol. Sometimes a lesser protocol is chosen by default, if the better protocol uses more battery. This may be available to you in the phone settings, or as an option in an app for the headphones (e.g. my Anker Soundcore app allows choosing between two protocols).
I haven’t seen a single setting for changing any protocols unfortunately. I have found out there is something called DUMP which is related to battery optimisation but I have no means to disable/enable it unless I root my phone and somehow learn to change it. That’s way too much for me.
Accidentally I’ve also found that if I have am editing an equalizer profile, switch to my media app, switch back to the equalizer then the good quality audio kicks in and stays for as long as I keep the profile editor open. It will stay even if I switch again to another app or if the screen turns off. An annoying workaround but at least I got an option.
You can change which Bluetooth audio protocol is being used in the developer options
Search up how to enable developer options on Android. It’s almost always from tapping the build number a certain number of times
Not am audiophile or anything but i do like having good quality sound for listening to stuff so ive gone down the rabbit hole a couple of times.
If the audio sounds bad on more than a few headphones or speakers, could be the phone is bad out of the box. Does happen. I had a phone that was supposed to have accidental touch protection for when your phone is in your pocket but it would still turn on and mess with stuff while in my pocket.
I would recommend you check on a few diffrent speakers to see if theres any noticeable difference in quality. Headphones vs another pair or speakers in your house vs your cars speakers. That should give you an idea if its the phone itself or your current audio devices.
I use one that probably won’t be well liked around here but it’s called EZ Booster. It’s got ads which is annoying but it has an equalizer and can hella boost sound volume, which I was having issues with when playing audios from my browser. I haven’t played with the equalizer much but the volume booster on its own has made a huge difference for me.
Yeah, look for an equalizer app.
