There is fresh movement around My Bluetooth headphones sound massive after bypassing Android’s broken volume…, and the story is worth a closer look.
We pulled together what is known so far and what it could mean for the people following it.
I’ve been a cheerful owner of a pair of Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 for months.
However, a recent accident involving a train and a total lack of hand-eye coordination meant my relationship with the earbuds was unexpectedly terminated.
I switched to a pair of Creative Zen Air earbuds I had reviewed a few months previously, but I quickly noticed a problem.
While my Pixel Buds Pro 2 were often too loud to use, my Zen Air earbuds had the opposite problem.
Maximizing my phone volume wasn’t sufficient. I needed to separate my phone volume from my earbud volume, and fortunately, there was a way to do this.
The absolute volume setting is an advanced Android feature and is therefore hidden in the developer options menu.
If you haven’t enabled developer options before, here’s how:
Go to the system menu in the Settings app to find developer options. Scroll down (or search) for the Disable absolute volume switch. Toggle this switch on.
Now, you can adjust the volume of your earbuds separately from your phone volume.
It’s worth clarifying that disabling absolute volume does not prevent you from adjusting a Bluetooth speaker’s volume with your phone.
From Viking kings to wireless earbuds — how much do you really know about Bluetooth?
Bluetooth technologies is named after which historical figure?
In what year was the first official Bluetooth specification (version 1.0) released?
Which Bluetooth version introduced Low Energy (LE) mode, designed for devices like fitness trackers and sensors?
What is the maximum theoretical data transfer speed of Bluetooth 5.0 in its high-speed mode?
What technique does Bluetooth use to reduce interference by rapidly switching among 79 different frequency channels?
Which Bluetooth attack involves an attacker sending unsolicited messages or files to a discoverable Bluetooth device without pairing?
Which company originally developed the technologies that became Bluetooth, starting the project in 1994?
Each pair of earbuds or headphones can have a different maximum volume level.
Sometimes it’s louder than your phone’s settings (as in my case), or quieter (disabling absolute volume can also help in this situation).
I tested how disabling absolute volume affected my earbuds by placing them near my phone’s microphone.
Then, I played part of a song with absolute volume enabled and my phone’s volume set to maximum.
Next, I disabled absolute volume, adjusted my earbuds’ volume as high as they would go (being careful not to move them), and played the same song part again.
With absolute volume enabled, my headphones produced a maximum of 51.4 decibels and an average of 44.7 decibels.
When I disabled absolute volume, they reached a maximum of 60.2 decibels and an average of 50.7 decibels.
This is a nearly 20% volume jump. It’s hard to tell exactly what volume my earbuds are set at, but after experimenting, I noticed a clear increase in volume.
Now, when I need to maximize the volume of my earbuds, I raise the media volume on my phone to maximum, then raise the volume of my earbuds.
Audio volume wasn’t the only reason I did this. Separating earbud volume from phone volume has numerous benefits.
for example, I listen to music through earbuds, but I play podcasts through my phone speaker at home.
I dislike wearing earbuds for this, as I’m regularly chatting with friends or housemates. I therefore have the volume turned down so I can hear them.
Separating my phone volume from earbud volume means I don’t have to adjust my phone’s volume every time I take my earbuds out.
I listen to music recorded before the 1950s, and the mixing results in wildly varying audio levels.
Separating my headphone volume from my phone volume means I can properly listen to quiet tracks.
If the maximum volume of a Bluetooth speaker is much higher than the maximum volume of your phone, you can lower the Bluetooth speaker’s volume without nearly muting your phone.
Some Bluetooth speakers, earbuds, and headphones can have a maximum volume that is significantly higher than your phone’s volume.
Disabling absolute volume can cause your earbuds to reach dangerous volume levels, so always be mindful when using this setting.
If your media suddenly sounds quieter, it may be due to an Android update.
Volume settings are controlled by software, so some updates that adjust volume settings can change the maximum volume of your phone. Disabling absolute volume can fix this issue.
About the Author
