Bring back the headphone jack: Why USB-C audio still doesn’t work - linckponesisforty

Smartphone makers, it's time to have that come-to-Apple import, where we tell you that it's time to set the 3.5mm analogue headset jack back on the phone—at least until you perplex your USB-C audio act in order. After plugging in a fistful of USB-C dongles and USB-C headsets into a stack of USB-C phones, I've discovered that it's a mess, especially for third-company headsets. Here's why.

Gordon Mah Ung

Hera's wherefore your USB-C analog audio frequency adapter doesn't work.

Why you can't plug whatsoever USB-C thing into any telephone set

The first problem is lack of basic compatibility. For example, if you take the USB-C dongle that came with a Motorola Z2 Force back or Sony Xperia XZ2, it won't work with a Google Pixel 2 XL, Samsung Galaxy S8, or OnePlus 6.

The USB-C dongle that comes with the Pixel 2 XL though, testament bring up across all of those phones, as does the USB-C headset that Huawei includes with its P20 Pro.

Only charter the USB-C dongle that's also in the box with the Huawei P20 In favou and try it on your partner's Pixel 2 Cardinal, and it's a none-go.

And yeah, the USB-C headset that's bundled with the HTC U11 North Korean won't work on many a phones either. It's enough to make you want to curb stomp your non-working headset or dongle.

Amazon

Ahh USB-C: The Libratone Q ADAPT headphones work for music but not for phone calls for phones beyond the Pixel 2 XL.

Here's wherefore your USB-C dongle probably doesn't employment

These incompatibilities every seem to come down to how apiece phone God Almighty has implemented its phone, USB-C dongle, and bundled USB-C headset. The key component is whether that headset has a DAC, operating room digital-to-analog converter. As its name implies, the DAC converts the whole number audio into analog audio.

The vast majority of bundled dongles I tried—from Lenovo, Sony, and Huawei—do not include DACs. Instead they rely happening DACs inside the speech sound to change the signal to analogue before pumping IT intent on the headset via USB-C. These phones essentially treat the USB-C port like a USB-C-shaped 3.5mm sea do, and information technology's probably not foul to call these analog USB-C dongles.

The exception I've seen as yet is the USB-C dongle bundled with Google's Pixel 2 XL. It includes a DAC to read the digital impressive from the phone. Because information technology's au fond a USB Sound Adjunct (a class of USB audio device that should work at totally things USB), every phone I tried it on, as well arsenic a couple of laptops, mostly work the way you expect them to.  We can consider these digital USB-C dongles.

Gordon Mah Ung

#thanksgoogle. I really needed a replacement Pixel 2XL dongle like right now but the dongle will frequently sell out.

Obviously, most phone makers don't include member USB-C dongles with DACs. Wherefore? I'd imagine it's price, as anyone knows who remembers the outrage over Google's original plans to sell its digital USB-C dongle for $20. (If you need one, IT's available for the Sir Thomas More reasonable Mary Leontyne Pric of $9 via GoogleRemove non-product connect.)

Gordon Mah Ung

Plug an analog or supine USB-C sound adapter or headphone into the Google Pixel 2XL and you'rhenium left with silence.

USB-C's lack of uniformness

The frustrating set forth of it all is the lack of uniformity and logic here. Why won't an analog USB-C dongle influence on a Pixel 2XL Oregon OnePlus 6 when both phones (operating theatre their United States versions, in any case) are based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 and Snapdragon 845 SOCs, which both seem to include the troupe's Aqstic DAC?

In Google's defense, troupe officials told us it was just pursual the rules. Although analog audio o'er USB-C can atomic number 4 done, it's not actually part of the spec for headsets. Trusty, it might be convenient, but it's not required, sorry!

To survive even more maddening, several phones we tried with the Picture element 2 XL digital USB-C dongle did mold, but not until you switched connected USB storage in the OS. Yea, totally visceral. Better still, you possess to do this every time you insert the headset operating theatre dongle to make it work.

Gordon Mah Ung

An LG G7 with a Huawei P20 Pro digital USB-C headphones doesn't work until you enable USB file transfers—each time you plug it in.

In that respect is hope, though.

Huawei's P20 In favor ships with both a digital USB-C headset and an parallel USB-C dongle in box. While you'd atomic number 4 confused using that analog USB-C dongle elsewhere, the P20 Pro's actually just works. It even tells you what's going on to no matter what kind of USB-C dongle or headset is obstructed in.

Gordon Mah Ung

The Huawei P20 actually provides serviceable selective information about the dongle you just plugged in.

With the included Huawei digital USB-C headset, it just works. If you get daring and plug in a third-party adapter, such equally the Pixel 2XL's digital USB-C dongle, you beget a exemplary—but it placid just works, automatically starts supplying power to information technology, as well. And yup, no more problems with an analog USB-C dongle either.

Gordon Mah Ung

The Huawei P20 gives you useable info

Trying to class which phones did what and what kind of dongles and headsets were bundled left me with recognizable patterns:

Combo 3.5mm and USB-C phones

Most phones (much as the LG G7, Samsung Beetleweed S8) with USB-C and legacy 3.5mm analog sound jacks work with USB-C extremity headsets and dongles. However, well-nig force you to enable USB-C file transfer every time you connect. IT's better than not working at all when you'Re on a plane and want to listen to music. These phones almost universally do non support analog dongles, but they every last have 3.5mm jacks, so you don't need one.

USB-C only phones

Connected phones that have eliminated the 3.5mm jacks, the few that I tried handled it mostly right. The Huawei P20 In favou, for instance, functioned as you'd expect it to. Sony's Xperia XZ2 also work just hunky-dory with analog dongles, American Samoa does Lenovo's Z2 Storm (both include an analog dongle, too).

But past…

The exceptions we ran into—and I'm sure there are to a greater extent—include Google's Pixel 2 XL and the new Razer Phone. Neither admit analog pass-finished at all. While Google points you to a website where you nates buy a digital accessory (Thanks Google!), the Razer Phone doesn't still bothering to tell you why you're not getting any audio.

Cristal Patrick Murray

The good ol' analog headphone jack just works.

The problem is only going to breed as citizenry rising slope and amass a drawerful of USB-C dongles and headsets. Army of the Pure's face IT: You may unwrap or sell the speech sound, but you'll likely keep your old headsets and dongles.

If only we had much kind of almost universal technology or interface that worked exactly Eastern Samoa you'd expect information technology to. Hmmm…

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/402199/bring-back-the-headphone-jack-why-usb-c-audio-still-doesnt-work.html

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