What happened to dual audio Samsung?

Dual audio allows users to play audio from their Samsung device to two paired Bluetooth devices simultaneously. This feature gained popularity among Samsung users who wanted to share their audio with others by connecting to multiple headsets or speakers at once. Dual audio was particularly useful for watching videos or listening to music with a friend or family member.

Samsung previously offered dual audio on many of their mid-range and budget smartphone models. Starting with phones like the Galaxy J7 and extending to A series and M series devices, dual audio was a staple Samsung feature that many customers came to expect and rely on.

Popularity of Dual Audio

Dual audio, the feature that allows audio to be played through two Bluetooth devices simultaneously, has been especially popular in markets like India where consumers often enjoy content in multiple languages. According to Samsung’s support page, dual audio “allows you to send your media audio to two different Bluetooth devices at once” (https://www.samsung.com/au/support/mobile-devices/setting-up-dual-audio/). This makes it easy to listen in one language yourself while sending the audio in a different language to another set of headphones for someone else. The demand for dual audio capabilities is clear across Reddit and other forums focused on tech products popular in India.

In particular, many users inquire about which Samsung models support dual audio, indicating it’s a valued feature. For example, a Reddit thread titled “Which phones have dual audio available?” (https://www.reddit.com/r/samsung/comments/mpl67r/which_phones_have_dual_audio_available/) shows significant interest in knowing which devices offer dual audio. The popularity of this feature demonstrates that consumers, especially in markets like India, highly value the flexibility and convenience dual audio provides for enjoying content in multiple languages.

Removal from Budget Phones

Starting with the budget-friendly Galaxy A and M series launches in 2021 and 2022, Samsung began removing dual audio functionality from many of its lower-cost phones according to sources on Reddit. This move was seen on phones like the Galaxy A13, A23, A33, M13, and others, suggesting it became a widespread policy for Samsung’s mass market devices.

The rationale behind this removal seems to be cost savings. Dual audio requires specific Bluetooth hardware that adds expense to the bill of materials. For lower priced phones with smaller profit margins, eliminating this functionality likely saved Samsung a few dollars per device. While disappointing to consumers who appreciated the feature, limiting dual audio to flagship Galaxy S and Fold models helps Samsung refine its product tiering and maximize profits.

Focus on Flagships

While dual audio was once available on many Samsung budget and mid-range devices, in recent years Samsung has focused dual audio as a feature primarily for its flagship Galaxy S and Note series phones.[https://www.androidpolice.com/what-is-samsung-dual-audio/] This includes phones like the Galaxy S22, S21, S20, Note 20, and Note 10 families. Keeping dual audio as a flagship feature allows Samsung to differentiate its premium devices and provide an added incentive for customers to purchase higher-end models.

By limiting dual audio to flagships only, Samsung faces less hardware limitations. Flagship phones have more advanced Bluetooth chips that can handle dual audio streaming better than lower-end chips in budget devices. While it is technically possible to enable dual audio in software on cheaper phones, the experience may not be seamless due to hardware restrictions. Samsung likely determined dual audio worked best on flagships to ensure a smooth user experience.

Hardware Limitations

Dual audio requires specific hardware capabilities that add cost, which is why Samsung removed it from their budget smartphone models.

To enable dual audio, a phone needs compatibility with the Bluetooth 5.0 standard or higher, which supports multiple simultaneous Bluetooth connections. Bluetooth 5.0 hardware components like radio chips and antennas are more expensive than older Bluetooth versions ¹.

In addition, dual audio requires sufficient processing power and RAM to encode two audio streams concurrently without lag or quality loss. Budget smartphones tend to use lower-end processors and memory to hit affordable price points. Running intensive tasks like dual audio audio encoding may impact system performance if the hardware is not powerful enough.

By limiting dual audio to flagship and high-end models, Samsung ensured the feature would work smoothly. But this hardware requirement increased costs and prevented adoption in cheaper devices. Removing dual audio from the budget A-series allowed Samsung to further reduce prices to compete in the low-cost phone market.

User Backlash

Many Samsung users expressed frustration and disappointment over the removal of the handy Dual Audio feature in budget models and software updates for existing devices. Users heavily utilized Dual Audio to play audio through multiple Bluetooth devices simultaneously, like connecting headphones and a speaker at the same time. The feature removal impacted convenient usage scenarios.

On Reddit and Samsung community forums, users complained that Dual Audio was a key feature for them and its removal significantly downgraded their experience [1]. Some characterized it as Samsung ruining a perfectly useful feature that worked well before. Others asked if it could be restored with software updates or clarification on why Samsung removed it.

Overall, many Samsung loyalists felt betrayed that this handy feature was unceremoniously removed without sufficient justification. The backlash highlights the passion people had for Dual Audio and the desire for Samsung to restore it in some capacity.

Software Workarounds

Although Samsung removed dual audio capabilities from many of its budget and mid-range devices, some users found software workarounds using third party apps. One popular app is SoundAbout, which enables dual audio through software even on phones without official support.

SoundAbout works by splitting the audio signal so it can be routed to two separate Bluetooth devices simultaneously. After installing the app, users can pair multiple headsets or speakers and toggle audio routing between them. This provides a similar dual audio experience to what was previously offered in Samsung flagships.

While not a complete substitute for true native dual audio, SoundAbout and apps like it restore functionality for many users. However, there are some drawbacks like increased battery drain and occasional glitches. Still, software workarounds remain popular options to enable dual audio on newer budget Samsung devices lacking official support.

Samsung’s Response

Samsung has acknowledged the removal of dual audio capabilities in some models, stating that it is prioritizing high-end flagship devices. On the Samsung Community forums, a moderator explained: “Dual audio feature is only available on select devices. We’re continuously working on improving features and your feedback helps us prioritize these efforts. We always want to bring new features to devices, but due to hardware limitations not every feature can be made available.”

While no official reason was provided, the focus seems to be on delivering the feature only on premium devices with more advanced hardware. There has been no indication that dual audio will return to cheaper models. Samsung’s response has disappointed many budget phone owners who previously enjoyed the feature. However, the company has not ruled out potentially reintroducing it to lower-end devices in the future.

Source: https://us.community.samsung.com/t5/Questions/Dual-Audio-gone/td-p/2121087

Future Possibilities

Based on strong user demand, there is speculation that Samsung may bring back dual audio support to mid-range devices in the future. While hardware limitations were cited as the reason for removing the feature from budget phones, rapid advancements in Bluetooth chip technology could enable dual audio on less expensive chipsets. If user feedback continues to request the return of dual audio, Samsung may choose to reinstate it in select mid-range devices as a competitive differentiation from other brands. According to <a href=”https://www.samsung.com/latin_en/support/mobile-devices/how-can-i-use-dual-audio-to-share-media-on-multiple-devices/”>Samsung’s own support article</a>, dual audio remains available in their flagship devices, so the capability still exists in their product stack. With user demand driving Samsung’s decisions, it’s quite possible dual audio could make a comeback in mid-range devices in the next 1-2 years.

Conclusion

Dual audio has been a popular feature in Samsung phones, allowing users to switch between different audio tracks in videos and media. It was especially useful for watching foreign films or shows with both original and dubbed audio. However, likely due to cost cutting and hardware limitations, Samsung removed dual audio capabilities from many of its budget and mid-range devices starting in 2018.

This sparked some backlash among fans who had come to expect and rely on dual audio. Some found workarounds via custom software, but these were not officially supported by Samsung. The company seems to have doubled down on focusing dual audio for its flagship devices only, given their more advanced hardware. For now, it appears dual audio will remain a premium feature, though users continue to hope it may return to more models someday.