Can you use your phone as an audio device for PC?

This article will cover how you can use your Android smartphone as an audio output device for your Windows PC. We’ll discuss the different methods to enable audio sharing between your phone and computer, such as over Bluetooth or USB. Some key topics include:

Connecting your Android phone to your PC via Bluetooth or USB
Enabling audio routing from your PC to your phone

Using your phone as a microphone or speaker for your computer
Troubleshooting audio quality and latency issues
Alternatives like wired headphones and speaker docks

With some simple setup steps, you can start using your Android smartphone as an audio device for your Windows computer. This allows you to take advantage of your phone’s speakers, microphone, and audio extensions when working on your PC.

Connecting Your Phone

One of the first steps to using your phone as an audio device for your PC is getting it physically connected. You have two main options for connecting – using Bluetooth or a wired connection.

Bluetooth is the wireless standard used by most phones and computers today. Setting up a Bluetooth connection between your phone and PC allows you to transmit audio wirelessly. However, Bluetooth audio quality is often lower compared to a wired connection. According to a blog post by Bowers & Wilkins, “Bluetooth audio compression leads to a loss of fidelity” (source). The compression used by Bluetooth to transmit the audio wirelessly can reduce audio quality.

Alternatively, you can use a wired connection between your phone and PC using an aux cable or USB-C cable. This will provide lossless audio quality without any compression. As noted on Reddit, “Bluetooth audio, as it stands today, does not produce a wire-equivalent sound” (source). So if audio quality is your top priority, using a wired connection is recommended.

Enabling Audio Sharing

To enable audio sharing between your Android phone and Windows PC, you’ll need to turn on a few settings on both devices:

On your Android phone, open the Settings app and go to the Connections or Tethering & Mobile Hotspot section. Look for an option called “USB tethering” or “USB debugging” and enable it. This allows your phone to establish a direct connection with your computer when plugged in via USB.

Next, on your Windows PC, go to Settings > Bluetooth & Devices and toggle on “Allow Bluetooth devices to find this PC.” You may also need to enable file transfer capabilities in the USB settings. Finally, some PCs have an audio receiver setting that needs to be turned on to receive audio streams.

With USB tethering and Bluetooth activated on both sides, your Android phone and Windows PC will be ready to discover each other and share audio playback. Just make sure you have a USB cable connecting the two devices.

Using Your Phone as a Microphone

One of the most convenient ways to use your smartphone as a microphone for your PC is via a dedicated app. Popular options like WO Mic allow you to easily turn your phone into a wireless microphone for Windows, Mac, or Linux computers. Here’s how it works:

Download the WO Mic app on both your computer and smartphone. On your phone, grant the app the required permissions and tap Start Server. On your PC, launch the WO Mic client, select your phone from the list of available devices, and click Connect. Your smartphone will now act as a microphone input for your computer.

The WO Mic app has adjustable audio settings like sampling rate, channels, and bitrate. This allows you to optimize sound quality as per your needs. The app also lets you minimize latency issues that can occur during wireless audio transmission.

Overall, dedicated apps like WO Mic provide the easiest and most hassle-free way to use your Android or iPhone as a wireless mic for your Windows or Mac PC.

Your Phone as PC Speakers

You can use your Android phone’s built-in speakers to play audio from your Windows PC or laptop. This allows you to amplify your computer’s sound and take advantage of your phone’s speaker quality. There are a few methods to route audio from your PC to your Android device.

One option is to use Bluetooth pairing to stream audio wirelessly. Simply enable Bluetooth on both devices and pair them to connect. You can then set your Android phone as the audio output device in your PC’s sound settings menu (see this Reddit comment for step-by-step instructions). The range will be limited to standard Bluetooth connectivity of up to 30 feet.

For wired options, you can use a USB cable or 3.5mm auxiliary cable to connect the devices. Apps like AudioRelay allow USB tethering to stream audio over a direct wired connection. This gives you extended range and the highest possible sound quality. AudioRelay also works wirelessly over WiFi in case Bluetooth has interference or latency issues.

After establishing a wired or wireless connection, you’ll simply need to change your Windows sound output to the linked Android device. Then any sounds generated on your computer will automatically play through your phone’s speaker system.

Sound Quality Considerations

The sound quality from smartphones relies on both the device and the connected accessories like headphones or speakers. Smartphones use integrated DACs (digital to analog converters) and amplifiers that may be lower quality than those in dedicated audio players. According to an analysis on Reddit, dedicated high-end MP3 players from brands like HIDIZS, FiiO or Surfans that cost $100+ can provide better audio fidelity than a phone

However, many modern smartphones now support high-resolution audio codecs. For example, some phones handle audio encoded in 24-bit/192kHz which is better than CD quality.

So while audiophile-grade MP3 players exist, recent phones can still provide excellent fidelity. The connected headphones or speakers will be a limiting factor on call quality from a phone being used as microphone/speaker.

Latency Issues

When using your phone as an audio device for your PC, you may experience audio latency or lag. This is often caused by using a Bluetooth connection between your phone and computer. As this article explains, Bluetooth connections can introduce a slight delay in the audio transmission.

Network connections like Wi-Fi can also contribute to latency. Audio signals have to be encoded, transmitted wirelessly, and then decoded in real time, which takes a certain amount of processing time. This can result in delays of 100-200 ms or more.

Possible solutions for reducing latency include trying a wired connection instead of Bluetooth, enabling aptX codec support on both devices, adjusting audio buffer settings, or using a dedicated low latency wireless transmitter. However, some delay may be unavoidable.

Using Wired Headphones

When you want to connect a pair of wired headphones to your PC to use as an audio device, there are two main options: the 3.5mm headphone jack or a USB port. Wired headphones that connect via the 3.5mm audio headphone jack are compatible with almost any PC, so this is an easy standard way to connect. Other wired headphones may connect to a USB 3.0 port instead. Here’s how to connect your wired headphones either way:

Connect via 3.5mm headphone jack: Locate the 3.5mm headphone jack on your PC which is typically the round port with a headphone icon. Plug your wired headphones into this port directly. Your headphones will now become available as an audio device option you can select on your PC.

Connect via USB port: Locate a USB 3.0 port on your PC and plug the USB cable from your wired headphones (typically a USB-A 2.0 type) into the port to connect your headphones. This may require installing drivers and selecting your headphones as the audio output device in Windows settings.

That’s the basics of getting your wired headphones connected to your PC! Refer to this Wikihow guide for more detailed instructions. Wired headphones give you great sound quality when using your phone as an audio device for your PC, especially if latency is an issue with wireless options.

Troubleshooting Problems

If you encounter issues using your phone as an audio device for your PC, there are some troubleshooting steps you can try:

Make sure your phone and PC are up-to-date with the latest OS and driver updates. Outdated software can cause compatibility issues (https://www.makeuseof.com/android-phone-speaker-pc/).
Check that the audio sharing option is enabled on your phone under Settings. On Android, look for “Audio Sharing” or similar (https://www.reddit.com/r/yourphone/comments/u0pohd/phone_link_fails_to_use_default_audio_device/).
Try a different USB cable in case the current cable is faulty or loosely connected (https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-10-doesnt-recognize-android-phone-tried/9c720302-c63c-4397-adb3-ea86c0b9a7aa).

Change the default audio device on your PC to your phone to force audio output (https://www.reddit.com/r/yourphone/comments/u0pohd/phone_link_fails_to_use_default_audio_device/).
On Windows, disable exclusive audio control on competing devices like Bluetooth headsets.
As a last resort, uninstall drivers for your PC’s integrated audio and reboot to reinstall them.

Conclusion

In summary, you can use your phone as an audio input and output device for your PC. By enabling audio sharing or USB tethering options, you can route your phone’s microphone and speaker audio through your computer. This allows you to use your phone like a headset for chatting, gaming, calls etc. Just be aware of potential latency or audio quality issues over wireless connections. For best results, consider wired options instead.

As a final recommendation, first ensure your phone and PC have the proper settings enabled to allow audio sharing between devices. Connect the phone using the highest quality wired or wireless method available. Test the microphone and speaker latency by doing an audio playback. If you experience quality or delay problems, try switching to a wired connection instead. This will provide lower latency and better reliability compared to Bluetooth. With the proper setup, you can comfortably use your phone as an all-in-one audio device for most purposes on your computer.