Google released last week Android 17 for your phones Pixel. It does not bring many new features, the most notable being the possibility of record reaction videos in a single take and a new way to manage multiple applications using bubblesbut there are other smaller ones that have gone unnoticed. One of them is headed to improve the audio quality of your Pixel and other mobile phones as their manufacturers deploy their adaptation of Android 17, so For now it is only available for Google phones.
Pixels now natively support the codec LHDCv5. It is basically a codec with higher bit rateespecially when compared to standard Bluetooth codecs SBC and AAC that Pixel phones use by default. For the average listener, this may not be a big deal. However, For audiophiles, the codec matters a lot.
Until now, Pixel devices could send audio to headphones using the codec LDACwhich offers a high bitrate, but that improvement it depended on the headphones themselves being compatible. If they were not, the sound fell back to the standards AAC either SBC. With LHDCv5 support, Google expands options and allows more users to enjoy higher quality wireless audio.
But this codec is not selected by default and Google has not done much to highlight its compatibility either. As user QuantumCatalyzt points out in a Reddit post, codec is hidden behind Android developer optionscollects Android Headlines.
LHDC enabled in A17
by u/QuantumCatalyzt in pixel_phones
This is how you can activate the LHDCv5 codec in Android 17
If you had already activated the Developer Optionsyou can ignore the next step. If you haven’t done so, go to Phone information inside the mobile settings and tap seven times on Build number. A message will confirm that you already have it.
Then open the settings on your device, scroll down and tap Systementer Developer Optionstap on Bluetooth audio codec and select LHDCv5.
It is worth keeping in mind that the option to select LHDCv5 will only appear if you have a compatible headset paired and connected to the device at that time. You have to dig through the menus a bit, but it’s worth it if the result allows you to unlock wireless sound with greater fidelity.