If when you go on a trip you always play your favorite music or podcasts on your Android Auto to liven up the journey and you are not satisfied with the sound quality, or even you do not hear the calls or the assistant’s instructions well, we have good and bad news for you: the bad news is that Google’s infotainment system does not have a tool to improve the audio, but Yes, there are effective solutions so that you can hear Android Auto and the sound that comes from there better..
Android Auto sounds bad. If we analyze in depth the reason for low quality sound or that it does not meet our expectations with the Google infotainment system, we will see that the critical points (leaving aside, of course, the sound system in your car with its respective limitations or possible problems) are in the connection between mobile phone and car, the sound quality of the file or the source configuration, in this case, our Android phone.
Thus, if the mobile phone and the console are connected via Bluetooth, then we face challenges such as interference or compression inherent to the technology to optimize transmission and energy consumption. Likewise, we cannot expect the same quality from a track with high-resolution sound as from a lightweight file that we have downloaded in. Finally, parameters such as volume, balance, equalization or even the sound mode configured in the application from which we play on the mobile affect the final result through the car.
I want to improve my sound experience with Android Auto
Of the possible causes why our sound experience with Android Auto can clearly be improved, some solutions can already be anticipated.
- Better wired than Bluetooth. Wireless connections are exposed to problems such as drops, problems, delays, inferior data transfers… which with the cable you minimize the probability of happening or directly avoid. Transmitting with cable it is possible for the system to receive sound without loss or compression, which translates into sound with more sharpness and clarity.
- With downloaded music there is less risk. In the same way that offline maps are insurance for areas without coverage, if you download the podcasts or albums that interest you to your mobile before starting your trip, you can choose the best quality for the process and enjoy it later. Otherwise, you are exposed to optimizing the use of mobile networks and the coverage.
- Spend time setting up the playback app. It is worth investing some time in trying the different options offered by both players (if you have the music downloaded to the device) and streaming services that also allow it, such as Spotify or Amazon Music, for example the volume, the equalizer , sound effects, modes. So, if, for example, you use Spotify without downloading music, you can adjust the audio quality to the most ambitious (although you will use more data).
- Beware of Dolby Atmos. Your phone may support Dolby Atmos, a technology that offers a more immersive and immersive experience. Bad news: Android Auto is not and that can result in some distortion or losses. So when you play music from your cell phone so that it plays in the car, it is better to deactivate it.
