How can I use my Android phone as a speaker via USB?

Many Android phones allow you to use your device as a speaker when connected to a computer via USB cable. This can be a convenient option to get audio output from your computer through your phone’s built-in speakers. Some of the benefits of using your Android phone as a speaker include portability – you can easily unplug your phone and walk away with the speaker, and convenience – no need to have separate computer speakers if your phone’s speaker quality is decent.

Requirements

To use your Android phone as a speaker for your computer via USB, you’ll need the following:

An Android phone – Most modern Android phones should work for this method.

A USB cable – You’ll need a USB cable to connect your Android phone to your computer. This is usually a standard USB-A to USB-C cable that comes with most Android phones.
A computer with a USB port and sound output – The computer needs to have a USB port to connect your phone, and working sound output to play the audio.

As long as you have these basic requirements, you should be able to use your Android phone as a wireless speaker for your computer. The main components are the Android phone itself to transmit the audio, a USB cable for connectivity, and the computer to play the sound.

Enable USB Debugging

USB debugging allows you to connect your Android device to a computer and control it via developer tools. To use your phone as a USB speaker, you’ll first need to enable USB debugging in your device’s developer options menu.

Here are the steps to enable USB debugging on Android:

Open your device’s Settings app.

Scroll down and tap About phone.
Scroll to the bottom and tap Build number 7 times until you see a “You are now a developer!” message.
Go back to Settings and you should now see Developer options under System.

Open Developer options and turn on USB debugging.

Here is a screenshot showing where to find the USB debugging option:

With USB debugging enabled, you can now connect your Android device to a computer and control it remotely using developer tools like ADB. The next step is to install an app that can turn your phone into a speaker over USB.

Install SoundWire App

The SoundWire app for Android is required to enable using your phone as a speaker over USB. SoundWire creates the audio streaming connection between your Android device and computer.

You’ll need to download and install the SoundWire app from the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.georgie.SoundWireFree&hl=en_US&gl=US

Once installed, launch the SoundWire app and follow the setup prompts. Make sure to enable all required permissions and keep the app running in the background.

Connect Phone to Computer

Use a USB cable to connect your Android phone to your computer’s USB port (https://support.google.com/android/answer/9064445?hl=en). You may need to pull down the notification bar on your Android phone and select the file transfer or USB option (https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-connect-android-to-pc-4706506). This allows your computer to detect the phone and access its files. If your phone does not prompt you to select a USB option, you may need to enable USB debugging in your phone’s developer options. With the phone connected via USB, it should appear as a drive on your computer.

Configure Sound Settings

Once SoundWire is installed and connected on both devices, you need to configure the sound settings. On your Android phone, open the SoundWire app and tap on the “Speaker” icon to enable speaker mode. This will allow your phone’s audio to be transmitted to the computer.

On your computer, go to Control Panel > Sound (or right-click the speaker icon in the system tray and select Sounds). Under the Playback tab, select your Android phone name to set it as the default playback device. Now when you play any audio on your computer, it will be routed to your phone and played through its speakers.

According to the GeorgieLabs website, some setting changes in the SoundWire app require it to reconnect, so you may briefly lose the audio connection when enabling speaker mode¹. Make sure to also adjust the volume in SoundWire to your preferred listening level.

Test and Start Using

Once everything is set up, play an audio or video file on your computer to test that your Android device is working as a speaker. You should hear the audio coming from your phone ^[1]. If you don’t hear anything, double check your connections and audio settings.

To adjust the volume, use your phone’s volume buttons as you normally would. The sound will be coming from your phone’s speakers so use them to control loudness. You can also adjust the volume in Windows by right-clicking the speaker icon in the system tray and using the volume slider ^[2].

To switch playback between your phone and computer speakers, go into the sound settings in Windows and change the default output device. This allows you to toggle between listening from your phone speakers or your computer’s built-in speakers.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues using your Android phone as a USB speaker, there are some troubleshooting steps you can try:

If there is no sound or volume is too low, first check that the volume on your phone and computer are turned up. Go into your phone’s Settings > Sound and make sure media volume is set high. On your computer, check the volume in the sound control panel. You may also need to adjust the volume in the music or video app you are using on the computer.

Try toggling some of the USB audio settings like disabling USB audio routing or exclusive mode in Developer Options on your phone. Go to Settings > System > Developer Options and turn off or on the related settings and test if that fixes the no sound issue. You can also try a different USB cable in case the one you’re using is faulty.

To reduce lag or latency, make sure you are using the original cable that came with your Android phone and plug it directly into a USB port on your computer rather than through a hub. Close other apps running in the background on your phone to free up processing power for the audio. Try adjusting the audio buffer size in the SoundWire app settings to see if a smaller buffer improves latency.

As a last resort, you can try resetting app preferences or rebooting your phone and computer. If nothing seems to resolve the problem, your phone hardware or OS may not be fully compatible with using your device as a USB speaker.

Other Options

There are a few other apps like Vysor that can mirror your Android phone’s screen to your computer. Vysor allows wireless mirroring over WiFi without needing a USB connection. The app has a free tier with limitations and paid pro options.

Bluetooth can also be used as an alternative to a wired USB connection for audio streaming. You can pair your Android phone with a Bluetooth speaker or Bluetooth enabled TV/computer to play audio. The advantage of Bluetooth is not needing any wires, but the range is more limited than WiFi and there can be latency issues.

Overall, the SoundWire app using a USB connection provides lower latency and higher quality than wireless options. But apps like Vysor or Bluetooth provide more flexibility and convenience if you don’t need perfect quality.

Conclusion

Using your Android device as a USB speaker for your computer can be a convenient way to amplify your computer’s sound when external speakers are unavailable. The key steps are enabling USB debugging on your Android device, installing an audio forwarding app like SoundWire, connecting your phone to your computer via USB cable, and configuring your computer’s sound settings to use the phone as an audio output device.

While simple, this does have some limitations – audio quality may not be as high over a USB connection, and you’ll be tethered to your computer by the cable. However, it takes just a few minutes to set up and requires no special hardware, so it’s worthwhile for occasional use. Just don’t forget to disable USB debugging when you’re done, for security purposes.