Bluetooth is a fantastic feature in mobile phones, but if you use it regularly to listen to your favorite tunes, you may find that it sometimes sounds dead, noisy or just plain bad. The culprit may actually be the default codec your phone uses for Bluetooth.
Fortunately, there are several ways to improve it, usually available right on your device.
Improving Bluetooth quality starts with codecs
Not all Bluetooth audio is the same
The media files you use every day Requires codec to play correctly. This is usually software (but can sometimes be hardware). It mainly receives information, compresses and encodes it. The codec decodes the file into a playable format at the transmission endpoint.
Think of it as a translator that takes one language (in this case music or video) and translates it into another language (music streamed or played via Bluetooth). This is an essential feature for media files regardless of device or format.
The Bluetooth audio codec can vary depending on the bitrate it uses for transmission. It uses Bluetooth SBC (Subband Coding) Codec like it default and reserveit simply has the lowest bitrate. It is lossy like an MP3 file, meaning it loses some data when compressing the audio.
LDAC is a codec worth knowing about
Developed by Sony, adopted by Android
Your Bluetooth settings are probably already set SBC by default, some devices may default to AAC.
AAC (advanced audio coding) It’s a good middle-of-the-road option, though LDAC (format developed by Sony) is the setting to use for better sound. LHDC is another high-resolution format sitting alongside LDAC as a high-quality alternative SBC.
Supports LDAC 990 Kbps at 32-bit/96 kHz. If that doesn’t matter to you, it means it’s still high-res, sounds good, and doesn’t lose much data during compression. It’s definitely better than the SBC in terms of detail.
Of course, using LDAC with cheap, low-end headphones or a crappy speaker probably won’t make much of a difference.
If your device supports LDAC or LHDC, it’s worth using
Enabling LDAC and LHDC is easier than you might think
Many devices can be used as audio receivers, from speakers to headphones. to your laptop. Improving sound quality and changing settings is half of using modern technology. Depending on your comfort level (and your device’s support), you can access and change the codec settings yourself through your device’s developer options. I work with two Android phones, specifically a Motorola Moto G 2025 and a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5.
However, here’s how to see if your device supports LDAC, and if so, enable it:
-
Look for the LDAC or LHDC logo in your device’s manual or spec sheet.
-
Check phone settings via developer options/settings
-
Each phone has a different way to access developer options. For the Motorola Moto G, you simply go to Settings – About – Device IDs and then tap “Build Number” eight times.
-
“Developer Options” will be listed under “System”.
-
Find “Bluetooth Audio Codec” and edit it. In this case I enabled “LHDC”.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 has a slightly different way to access developer options:
-
Go to “Settings”.
-
Select “About phone” and go to “Software information”.
-
Tap “build number” about seven times
-
Check the codec under “Developer options”.
-
Repeat the same steps as above
-
Audio sounds pretty good through a pair of Everyday Headphones, but your mileage may vary
Your specific device will be different, so be sure to know how to adjust these options for your device (preferably through the manual or by contacting support). LDAC should be supported on all Android Oreo phones and above, which is pretty cool.
But what if your device doesn’t support LDAC? Don’t worry, there are many other codec options available such as AAC, aptX and aptX HD. Apple, for example, prefers the AAC codec, and it works great for iOS devices. AptX and aptX HD are Qualcomm’s alternatives to SBC (they’re usually better quality and most Android devices support them). Whatever your situation, they are all far superior to SBC, but I like LDAC the best.
If you want to learn about LDAC in a more technical sense, the source code is available at To Android Open Source Project.
One setting change can make a significant difference
.
While everyone’s distance with Bluetooth is different, there are definitely advantages to changing your codec settings. Results will of course vary depending on headphone quality and source material.
For me, LDAC will be my go-to app on any new Android device, and I’ll try to enable it when I set up my Bluetooth settings on future phones and devices.
