Google Pixel gets better audio quality in Android 17: how to check

While wired audio is certainly trying to make a comeback, wireless headphones are more prevalent today than ever, and that’s why it’s very good news that Google Pixel phones now support LHDCv5 in Android 17, a codec that supports better audio quality.

The wireless codec your phone uses to talk to Bluetooth devices is important, with AAC being the long-standing standard. SBC is another fairly standard codec that can be used and has been supported on Google Pixel devices for a while.

But LHDC is different, as it is a high-quality codec that supports quality that would otherwise only be available with a wired solution. Many Android brands have already added LHDC on your devices, but it is not a native part of Android and as such has not been found on Google Pixel devices.

That has now changed.

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Starting with the stable build of Android 17, Google Pixel devices now support LHDCv5, a version of the codec that was announced in 2022 and today it is used quite widely in high-end wireless audio. As the company behind LHDC announced As of earlier this year, LHDCv5 is now a “system-level supported codec in Android 17,” meaning it will be available not only on Pixel devices, but in theory any Android device running the latest version will get the same improvement in audio quality. Users stained the codec was live in last week’s updateand we have been able to confirm it in our own tests.

Of course, you’ll still need compatible hardware. LHDCv5 is compatible with most high-end wireless headphones today.

You can check if your Pixel uses LHDCv5 through the developer options. You’ll first need to go to Settings > About Phone and tap “Build Number” until your phone asks you to turn on developer options. At that point, you can go to Settings > System > Developer Options > Bluetooth to check which codec is being used.

If you are paired with headphones with LHDCv5, you will see the codec as an option (probably the one chosen by default) in the “Bluetooth Audio Codec” section. That’s what we’re seeing with OnePlus Buds Pro 3where Pixel Buds Pro 2that lack LDHCv5, still use AAC. Nothing Ear (3) It also doesn’t show LHDC, as they support LDAC instead (which the Pixel 10 doesn’t do).