Android smartphones as USB speakers? - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hello all and particularly developers... There is on the market many "usb-only" speakers (without jack connector) to be connected to computer. I m asking about some app which will be able to turn our smartphone like an usb speakers. It could be fun to use our smartphones as speakers when we don't have traditional speakers.

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Envoyé depuis mon CINK SLIM en utilisant Tapatalk 4

I have also been trying to find a utility which can accomplish this. There are apps out there which allow you to use your Android device as a PC speaker, but all the ones I have found only work over Wifi. In my experience, there is far too much lag over Wifi. Does anyone know of an app which outputs PC audio to Android via USB?

The easiest way would be to use the headphone/speaker output on the computer and connect it to the mic input on your phone's headphone jack. Then have an app that plays the mic input in real time. The downside to this is it would only be mono but most phones only have one speaker anyways. If you wanted stereo you could probably use a USB sound card connected via OTG provided you have drivers for it.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 4

Thanks, that's actually a decent solution. I'd have to do some digging to find a male-to-male mic cable though. It's just too bad we can't take advantage of the micro-USB cables we all have these days. Unfortunately, I do not have a sound card with a USB output and would prefer to not have to buy additional hardware. Ideally, I'd like to use this at work, so adding hardware is not really an option (the same reason IP audio streaming apps would not work). It would be great to have my phone double as a portable speaker. I'm not an expert on Android development, but it doesn't seem like there would be many technical hurdles to streaming audio over USB...
I appreciate your suggestion though, I may end up having to resort to the mic input solution.

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[Q] Line out problem

I was at work the other week and had a slight problem.. how the hell do i get music from a TG01 into a sound desk.. I tried to use the micro USB to 3.5mm adapter with a 3.5 to 3.5mm cable into the desk AUX input, we also tried using a 3.5 to RCA cable... the final thing we tried to make sure it wasnt a problem with the desk was to go straight into the DJ mixer using a 3.5mm cable. nothing worked. but Iphones, Ipod, other MP3 players all work using this method...
any ideas folks?
Have you tested the supplied USB to 3.5mm with a normal earbud? do you get sound out of it?
The USB to 3.5mm cable is just a simple Analog Left/Right/Ground port and so it should work with any Stereo plug regardless of the destination
I suspect that the USB to 3.5mm you used is busted
you can also use a bluetooth adapter with 3,5mm plug, the one i use was 32,- euros and works perfect
Wandy_1974 said:
Have you tested the supplied USB to 3.5mm with a normal earbud? do you get sound out of it?
The USB to 3.5mm cable is just a simple Analog Left/Right/Ground port and so it should work with any Stereo plug regardless of the destination
I suspect that the USB to 3.5mm you used is busted
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not at all.
The TG01 does require a certain resistance to be presented to the device and it is this which it interprets as to how to respond.
If the two data lines D- and D+ are shorted, it will go into Charge mode. If it sees a resistance of around 20 Ohms or more it will switch the audio output to the micro USB port. Typical earphones will have an impedance of around 30 Ohms, while the input to many battery powered external speakers is 4 or perhaps 8 Ohms (ever lower on amplifiers). This is why your TG01 worked fine into the earphones but not your external feed.
This texts it's not mine (just the blue one). It was written for the great kevinpwhite, on MODACO some time ago. And it's true (I've made the resistor modification in a set of stereo amplified speakers than failed as Tomsutton said and now they work perfectly.)
You can read the full explanation here: (I'm xdalover on Modaco )
http://www.modaco.com/content/toshiba-tg01-tg01-modaco-com/298887/headphone-amplified-sound-output/
(from post #7)
Have a nice day
Pere said:
Not at all.
The TG01 does require a certain resistance to be presented to the device and it is this which it interprets as to how to respond.
If the two data lines D- and D+ are shorted, it will go into Charge mode. If it sees a resistance of around 20 Ohms or more it will switch the audio output to the micro USB port. Typical earphones will have an impedance of around 30 Ohms, while the input to many battery powered external speakers is 4 or perhaps 8 Ohms (ever lower on amplifiers). This is why your TG01 worked fine into the earphones but not your external feed.
This texts it's not mine (just the blue one). It was written for the great kevinpwhite, on MODACO some time ago. And it's true (I've made the resistor modification in a set of stereo amplified speakers than failed as Tomsutton said and now they work perfectly.)
You can read the full explanation here: (I'm xdalover on Modaco )
http://www.modaco.com/content/toshiba-tg01-tg01-modaco-com/298887/headphone-amplified-sound-output/
(from post #7)
Have a nice day
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheers pete, Il dig out the specs of the desk and see what the resistance is, I dont remember it going into charging mode though..
Why would an Ipod work but the TG01 wont?
tomsutton529 said:
Cheers pete, Il dig out the specs of the desk and see what the resistance is, I dont remember it going into charging mode though..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If standard headphones works and aux IN don't work, no doubt. This is the origin of your problem
tomsutton529 said:
Why would an Ipod work but the TG01 wont?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Easy, an Ipod has a dedicated analogic output. Instead TG01 has a shared USB port with different uses...
Noticed this on mine when I wanted to play music from the phone on my stereo. VERY annoying, and a bit daft of them to do this, even though it's a shared port.
There should be a software option to enable the usb port for purely sound to allow it to pass it across. I see the hardware resistive work as a workaround not the solution (although well done on getting it working!!)
no way. toshiba support:
"There are no settings available on the phone in order to set up the electrical resistance."
tomsutton529 said:
I was at work the other week and had a slight problem.. how the hell do i get music from a TG01 into a sound desk.. I tried to use the micro USB to 3.5mm adapter with a 3.5 to 3.5mm cable into the desk AUX input, we also tried using a 3.5 to RCA cable... the final thing we tried to make sure it wasnt a problem with the desk was to go straight into the DJ mixer using a 3.5mm cable. nothing worked. but Iphones, Ipod, other MP3 players all work using this method...
any ideas folks?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With thanks to Pere for the kind words above re. my earlier explanations on this subject on MoDaCo....
....in addition, please note that all of these charactaristics are an intentional part of the micro USB AB 'On The Go' port design and will become increasingly the norm as more devices adopt uUSB.
There is at least one chip being manufactured, but as yet not available to individual purchasers, which will support an external plug in device capable of providing intelligent charging combined with concurrent audio out. Sort of configuration applicable to eg. a car hands free scenario. I imagine that such add-ons will start to become available in due course - this is one of the drawbacks of choosing what is still a leading edge device well over a year after it first appeared !
For the mixing desk input, I'd suggest using an isolating transformer (eg. these here) as the ideal means of coupling - this will provide the necessary impedance (typically >10kOhms) to make the TG01 respond with an audio output while also ensuring electrical separation and maintaining as high quality audio signal as possible.

Itunes mode for car stereo possible?

The stereo in my car supports Ipods and Iphones via USB. The stereo recognizes the Apple devices and lets you browse the media through the stereo itself - fully cataloged. You can also use Pandora and other music software through the USB port.
When I plug my Photon into the USB port, the only thing that works is browsing the media stored locally on the phone as a USB drive. I can't stream Pandora through the USB port.
Any way around this? Any way to emulate an Iphone?
Get a bluetooth receiver
I have a nice Sony HD Radio receiver, it doesn't support bluetooth. I don't want to spend a bunch of money replacing it.
Nullinvoid said:
Get a bluetooth receiver
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Assuming the stereo has the ability to hook one in...not to mention that, they are stupid expensive in a lot of cases.
But onto the actual question, no - there is no way to emulate an iOS device. The cable for an iDevice has several extra pins, which include Audio Out - ours doesn't in the USB connector at least.
Kcarpenter said:
Assuming the stereo has the ability to hook one in...not to mention that, they are stupid expensive in a lot of cases.
But onto the actual question, no - there is no way to emulate an iOS device. The cable for an iDevice has several extra pins, which include Audio Out - ours doesn't in the USB connector at least.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That makes sense to me. I guess the standard audio-out jack will have to do.
Thanks!
AVRCP 3.0 will have some of what you are looking for in regards to transfering current song info over to the HU. The driver is already built by BlueZ i think it is (which ever the open source driver android uses) so its just a matter of getting it in android. Maybe ICS?
For Audio its either BT or audio jack. You can also access anything on the USB partition (some support multiple devices) but some HU do not index things corectly (my eclipse will not put things in alphabetical order arggggg) so its luck of the draw.
Plus there are more HU coming out including ones now coming WITH android.

[Q] How to 3.5mm microphone input with 3.5mm stereo output?

What I need to do with my atrix is plug in a microphone via 3.5mm jack and playback over 3.5mm output to stereo. I've seen adapters to plug in with stereo 3.5mm and microphone 3.5mm to 1 3.5mm jack. I know the atrix has multi functions on the 3.5mm jack. I wasn't sure how I could harness this function within the Android OS?
So I plan on getting a studio quality microphone with a standard 3.5mm jack. I'll be plugging this into the atrix by a 2 way dongle if that's possible? Input/output dongle? Then it'll be outputting the audio from the microphone to the speakers for amplification or whatever output source of choice.
Usually I'd use my laptop to do this function. However, my laptop is a huge pain to use and I'd prefer to use my phone since it's way more convenient.
THANKS GUY'S!
Can the atrix record from external microphone?
Studio mike to mini Jack is s waste of time. You need a balanced cannon socket to get the benefit.
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2
consolation said:
Studio mike to mini Jack is s waste of time. You need a balanced cannon socket to get the benefit.
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats cool I was wondering if I could record using an external microphone?
I can record from the Mic on my headphones, do I don't see why not.
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2
That's great to know. So then how could I then playback what's being recorded in real time?
Sounds like you are trying to use it as a multi track recorder. Have you tried one of the multi track apps? Something like audio evolution et al?
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2
consolation said:
Sounds like you are trying to use it as a multi track recorder. Have you tried one of the multi track apps? Something like audio evolution et al?
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great idea. Now that's promising! If there's an app that can precisely control each individual steps on the 3.5mm jack. There might be several functions available like spdif out via 3.5mm dongle or something? Or a audio brick with a microphone input and stereo output so once that cable is dialed in. It should honestly work perfectly. As long as the app can hold it's own. I'll check it out.
What cable do you think I should use for this function?
Any other apps available? How easy would it be to write?
You're looking into making your Atrix to act like external audio interface with low latency monitoring. No, AFAIK you won't get satisfying results on any android device. It has something to do how android drivers handle audio. I was looking into iRig for android and found out that it's not going to happen.
However, high quality recording is possible. You would need adapter with preamplifier. I found a perfect one (MIKI) and have seen it in action. It enables your android device to use any dynamic mic for recording. Using appropriate adapter with this you could even use condenser mics. Price tag of €100 is the only thing that's holding me back to buy it.
Accompany it with app such as PC Recorder and you're all set to go.
Yeah, the audio stack in Android is pretty crap. I'm guessing it's the whole running in a java vm instead of native code?
My old 2007 2G iPhone with its 128MB RAM and ~500MHz cpu works fine as guitar effects processor, my last year's dual core Atrix with 1GB RAM lags like a mofo. As does every Android phone we tried. Get the basics right Google!
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2
I can't find that device anymore?
http://www.luci.eu/?page_id=330
I need to plug in a mic into android phone then playback over the 3.5mm stereo output.
THANKS
Good news everyone!
www.androidpolice.com/2013/02/22/so...or-the-low-latency-audio-in-issue-on-android/
Can't find a place where I can buy the software and cables and accessories to do this. I'd be very interested to buy it.

External microphone for hangouts.

Has anyone had any luck, or even attempted, using some sort of compact, external microphone for Google Talk or Hangouts? I tried searching but all of the threads are a year old, full of misinformation about how the 3.5mm jack is "out only" or involves soldering and magic.
Id really just like to know if I could throw in a non-powered or battery powered (gotta be small) microphone and have someone actually hear me when chatting. Right now everyone struggles to hear me when the tablet isnt 6" away from my face.
A directional mic that would allow me to set the tablet on a table (standing in its case of course) would be excellent. Small and reasonably priced would be great because the purpose is to use it on the road.
TIA
3.5MM port works with my Turtle Beaches with magic (Till I broke it...)
USB works with more magic, you have to port linux drivers :/
Bluetooth is the Easiest and Best option. I'd definitely go bluetooth for ease of use and connect.
My $.02
I'm looking more for conference functionality. So I can have it sitting on the dining room table and have the girlfriend and I chatting in a hangout. I surprised this hasn't been addressed, I guess nobody uses their tablet for Google talk or hangouts.
I use the earbuds that came with my Nexus S, they have a microphone built in.
As far as stand-alone microphones, I don't know of any. If you find one I'd like to know!
Id think if that external mic plugged in works fine when a simple, stand alone mic would. But most of the ones on Amazon have horrible reviews. I was hoping someone had thought about having a group chat on the thing.
I tried one of thos bluetooth car speakerphones and it was horrible. That is going back.
ryan stewart said:
Has anyone had any luck, or even attempted, using some sort of compact, external microphone for Google Talk or Hangouts? I tried searching but all of the threads are a year old, full of misinformation about how the 3.5mm jack is "out only" or involves soldering and magic.
Id really just like to know if I could throw in a non-powered or battery powered (gotta be small) microphone and have someone actually hear me when chatting. Right now everyone struggles to hear me when the tablet isnt 6" away from my face.
A directional mic that would allow me to set the tablet on a table (standing in its case of course) would be excellent. Small and reasonably priced would be great because the purpose is to use it on the road.
TIA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you may want to try this http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Boombox-Smartphones-Tablets-Laptops/dp/B005PUZOYM
its an external speaker with a mic built in. so you can set your tablet on the table and place the mic closer to you, its bluetooth so dont have to worrie about wires, i've used it for my phone streaming music and when a call comes in i can talk. . on my tablet i use it to play movies audio but never used the mic in that sense.
maybe that way will work for you
Any chance you could try a chat or hangout with it? Ive tried my existing bluetooth solutions and nothing works.
As for wired mics Ive tried multiple and all have failed. They dont record audio in any way well (camera, chat, whatever) and plugging a mic in tells the transformer its got headphones in.
Headphones for TF101
I tired the original headphone with built in mic which came with blackberry Bold 9700. It worked. Both audio out and mic is working same time.
Does anybody know if a USB mic would work conecting it to the dock? I stream video on ustream but built in mic is below average. I was thinking on buying a usb mic and conecting it to the usb ports. Will it work?
ryan stewart said:
Has anyone had any luck, or even attempted, using some sort of compact, external microphone for Google Talk or Hangouts? I tried searching but all of the threads are a year old, full of misinformation about how the 3.5mm jack is "out only" or involves soldering and magic.
Id really just like to know if I could throw in a non-powered or battery powered (gotta be small) microphone and have someone actually hear me when chatting. Right now everyone struggles to hear me when the tablet isnt 6" away from my face.
A directional mic that would allow me to set the tablet on a table (standing in its case of course) would be excellent. Small and reasonably priced would be great because the purpose is to use it on the road.
TIA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this!
http://shop.brando.com/brando-works...crophone-for-iphone-3g-s_p03552c0202d033.html
Well I can now confirm USB mic doesn't work when connected to the dock
You need to port the linux drivers for it to work effectively.
Thing O Doom said:
You need to port the linux drivers for it to work effectively.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How can I do that?
Depending on how much you want to spend and what converters you are willing to use:
a Zoom H2n has worked well for me (adjustable gain, uses up to 4 built in mics to get audio from all sides).
mjlim said:
I use the earbuds that came with my Nexus S, they have a microphone built in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my nexus s headphones don't work as a mic on my tf101.
Instead an iphone headphone works well as mic.

Question USB-C to 3.5mm for car auxiliary port

Hello!
I recently picked up a pixel 6, very happy with it so far except for the fact that my car is too old for the bluetooth to carry music to the radio.
I was wondering if anybody has managed to find a type c to 3.5mm cable that works? I have tried a type c to 3.5mm adaptor and it doesn't work, I think I need a straight type c to 3.5mm cable instead of an adaptor?
Before anybody asks, I have an fm transmiter but not really enjoying the experience between static or the bluetooth getting confused with the car itself.
I don't see why a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter shouldn't work. Try finding one on amazon that specifically advertises use in cars. It could be possible that the one you have is incompatible, manufacturers tend to make adapters that only work in specific circumstances.
You need an active adapter with integrated DAC (digital to analogue converter). Passive ones will not work. You better get the google cable if available. Apple one works but is too quiet in android. In fact any active cable should work.
Thank you both.
I have seen this one on Amazon, this is what I need I guess?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/KOOPAO-Adapter-Headphone-Stereo-Compatible-Grey/dp/B07Z3TRJKS/ref=sr_1_4?crid=VG53YFREW7S7&keywords=Type+C+to+3.5mm+Stereo+Audio+Cable&qid=1641755818&sprefix=type+c+to+3.5mm+stereo+audio+cable%2Caps%2C84&sr=8-4
I use this one:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08Y7YXHSB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
An alternative if you have 12v power in your car is using a USB Bluetooth to 3.5mm device like this one.
Hagibis Bluetooth Receiver Bluetooth 5.0 Adapter Hands-Free Bluetooth Car Kits AUX Audio 3.5mm Jack Stereo Music Wireless Receiver for Car Speaker Home Built-in Microphone (U3-Grey) : Amazon.com.au: Electronics
Hagibis Bluetooth Receiver Bluetooth 5.0 Adapter Hands-Free Bluetooth Car Kits AUX Audio 3.5mm Jack Stereo Music Wireless Receiver for Car Speaker Home Built-in Microphone (U3-Grey) : Amazon.com.au: Electronics
www.amazon.com.au
That way you can still be wireless and have Bluetooth in an older car, without having to deal with those hit or miss radio adaptors
I have this issue since using the Galaxy S21, the way I fixed it, start playing music on the phone speaker, then connect the cable, and it will start working, it happens all the time, that why I bought a cheap Bluetooth receiver from Walmart, best $8 I've spent in years.
cervantesjc said:
I have this issue since using the Galaxy S21, the way I fixed it, start playing music on the phone speaker, then connect the cable, and it will start working, it happens all the time, that why I bought a cheap Bluetooth receiver from Walmart, best $8 I've spent in years.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought to do the same but the phone shows that the connected device is not supported
neptun2 said:
You need an active adapter with integrated DAC (digital to analogue converter). Passive ones will not work. You better get the google cable if available. Apple one works but is too quiet in android. In fact any active cable should work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to clear up what that actually means for OP: a passive adapter will work only on USB-C ports that are able to route an *analog* signal. These are fairly uncommon -- most USB-C ports are digital only.
The nice thing about digital output is that you get to control the sound quality by selecting a USB-DAC of a quality that meets your needs, instead of being limited to whatever cheap thing they built in to the phone.
Physically, you can't even tell the difference any more. While USB-DAC's used to always involve a "big ugly box", the circuitry has shrunk these days to small enough to fit into the ends of the dongle.
The headphone adapter sold by Google is an example of this, its a USB-DAC, but shows no sign of containing any significant components besides the connectors.
I tried one that came with an old Motorola phone and it did not work, but Google sells one. They should be able to confirm if it works before you order it
https://store.google.com/product/usb_c_headphone_adapter?hl=en-US
I've personally tried 3 different ones that have worked for me, the first one was from an old Motorola phone, the second one, was one that I bought at an airport, I believe the brand is Moshi, and the third one was coming from a one plus phone. They all worked by playing on phone speaker and then plugging it.
cervantesjc said:
I've personally tried 3 different ones that have worked for me, the first one was from an old Motorola phone, the second one, was one that I bought at an airport, I believe the brand is Moshi, and the third one was coming from a one plus phone. They all worked by playing on phone speaker and then plugging it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which Moto phone? My Moto Z(2) Force one gives an error message that the audio device is not supported.
chaimav said:
Which Moto phone? My Moto Z(2) Force one gives an error message that the audio device is not supported.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is the moto Z2 Force, I've used it a couple times, and I had no issues.
cervantesjc said:
It is the moto Z2 Force, I've used it a couple times, and I had no issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It works on your Pixel 6? Maybe mine is defective??
This discussion is very interesting. Generally pixel 6 (and previous pixels also) do not send analogue audio signal to the usb type c port hence passive converters from type c to 3.5 mm do not work. You need active converter with integrated DAC (digital to analogue converter) in it so that the digital audio from the usb type c port is transformed to analogue signal and sent to the headphones or whatever else. Every phone though has integrated DAC in the chipset because otherwise it would not be able to drive its own speakers with analogue signal. When i tried to connect my passive DAC adapter from oneplus 7 phone i got error on the pixel 6 that cable is not compatible. It is possible if you play something through the speakers analogue signal to also be copied towards the usb type c port and this way to trick passive adapters to also work but this need to be tested. I think that i still have the passive adapter somewhere and will test these days if i find it.
neptun2 said:
This discussion is very interesting. Generally pixel 6 (and previous pixels also) do not send analogue audio signal to the usb type c port hence passive converters from type c to 3.5 mm do not work. You need active converter with integrated DAC (digital to analogue converter) in it so that the digital audio from the usb type c port is transformed to analogue signal and sent to the headphones or whatever else. Every phone though has integrated DAC in the chipset because otherwise it would not be able to drive its own speakers with analogue signal. When i tried to connect my passive DAC adapter from oneplus 7 phone i got error on the pixel 6 that cable is not compatible. It is possible if you play something through the speakers analogue signal to also be copied towards the usb type c port and this way to trick passive adapters to also work but this need to be tested. I think that i still have the passive adapter somewhere and will test these days if i find it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried an adapter from a Oneplus 6 (if memory serves) and I had the same problem, hence the thread
Given the one from Google looks just the same I am apprehensive to buy it until I am 100% certain
Today DAC circuits are so small that it is easy to integrate these into the usb type c part of the cable. There is no way to tell if cable is active or passive only by looking at it anymore. Google cable should work fine. Alternatively you can try the trick with first playing through the speakers and then connecting the old oneplus 6 cable and see if that will make it work. ne side note - don't buy the apple usb to 3.5 mm cable. It has very low volume on android (works properly on ios and windows). Tested it myself.
neptun2 said:
This discussion is very interesting. Generally pixel 6 (and previous pixels also) do not send analogue audio signal to the usb type c port hence passive converters from type c to 3.5 mm do not work. You need active converter with integrated DAC (digital to analogue converter) in it so that the digital audio from the usb type c port is transformed to analogue signal and sent to the headphones or whatever else. Every phone though has integrated DAC in the chipset because otherwise it would not be able to drive its own speakers with analogue signal. When i tried to connect my passive DAC adapter from oneplus 7 phone i got error on the pixel 6 that cable is not compatible. It is possible if you play something through the speakers analogue signal to also be copied towards the usb type c port and this way to trick passive adapters to also work but this need to be tested. I think that i still have the passive adapter somewhere and will test these days if i find it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would need to be physically wired together like that, which it is definitely not.
It would probably also need a second DAC built in, because there are only so many speakers you can drive with the built-in. That's why some phones are advertised as "dual DAC".
Got Pixel 6 usb-c to 3.5 mm one direct from Google...works great.
jelive said:
Got Pixel 6 usb-c to 3.5 mm one direct from Google...works great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this for a car aux port or for earphones you use it for?

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