Hear conversations better with the updated Pixel Sound Amplifier

If you’ve ever been in a crowded, noisy place, chances are you’ve had to speak louder so the other person can hear, and vice versa. You can alleviate this headache in the latest Pixel update by using the Sound Amplifier app’s new communication tool.

Audio Booster, which has been around for a while, helps you focus on specific sounds in your environment by amplifying whatever you point your Pixel’s microphone at. You can even use it to amplify the sound coming from your phone. It only works with headphones, so you’ll need a pair of connected wired or Bluetooth headphones.

This feature is great in noisy environments where you can point the microphone at the target speaker or sound, and even better for people with hearing problems. It is also suitable for creative use, such as getting clearer sound when using your phone to play audio.

The new Conversation Mode feature is available in the December 6 Android 12 update for Pixels (SQ1A.211205.008) and is compatible with Pixel 3, Pixel 3XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a (5G), Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro and the upcoming Pixel 6a.

In talk mode, you can block out a conversation with a specific speaker while blocking out all background noise, giving you even more clarity on what the other person is saying. If you already know how to use the audio booster in general, you can skip to step 7 below to get straight to the talk mode information.

Ways to open a sound amplifier

Before proceeding, know that you can open the sound booster on your Pixel right away; you do not need to activate it to access this feature. The only problem is that you won’t find it in the All Apps drawer. Instead, you’ll have to ask Google Assistant to “Open Sound Amplifier”, open it from the Play Store page, or open it from the Settings app.

However, you can add a shortcut for faster access to it. There is a floating accessibility button (step 2) as well as an app icon under All Apps (step 3).

Skip to step 4 if you’re not interested in labels but still want to know more about the audio amplifier in general. Or skip to step 7 if you only want to learn about the newest audio amplifier feature, talk mode.

Open Sound Amplifier Settings

Open the Settings app as you normally would (app drawer, search bar, quick settings, etc.) and navigate to Accessibility, then Sound Amplifier under Audio. Alternatively, you can tell Google Assistant to “Open Sound Amplifier Settings”and go straight to it.

Add an Audio Amplifier Accessibility Button (Optional)

If you don’t like using Google Assistant and find the Play Store open link very inconvenient, you can click “Open Sound Booster”in Sound Booster settings to access the tool. Still, it’s not very convenient.

In the sound amplifier settings menu, you can also add a floating screen button for quick access to the sound amplifier from any screen. Turn on “Sound Booster Shortcut”and you’ll immediately see a tiny button at the edge of the screen with a green Sound Booster icon. Clicking will open the tool. You can also swipe it further to the edge of the screen to hide the half when you don’t need it.

To customize the appearance of this button, go to Settings -> Accessibility -> Accessibility Shortcuts. Here you can toggle Lock Screen Shortcut if you want or don’t want the lock screen to be available.

As for the button itself, click on Accessibility button. In this menu, you can change the button size from small to large, enable/disable “Fade when not in use”and adjust its “Transparency when not in use”if you have the fade option enabled.

Add an audio booster icon to all apps (optional)

If you don’t like the fact that the floating button on the screen is always visible, you can add another label. Open Sound Booster using one of the methods described above, then tap the vertical ellipsis in the upper right corner. In the menu, check the “Show icon in application list”checkbox. You can then swipe up on the home screen to access all apps and you will see the Sound Amplifier app icon.

Plug in a pair of headphones

Before you can use the audio amplifier, you need to connect a pair of headphones, wired or wireless. Of Android 12 devices, only the following devices have headphone jacks:

• Pixel 3a
• Pixel 3a XL
• Pixel 4a
• Pixel 4a (5G)
• Pixel 5a
• Pixel 5a (5G)

USB Type-C to 3.5mm adapters are available for:

• Pixel 3
• Pixel 3XL
• Pixel 4
• Pixel 4XL
• Pixel 4a
• Pixel 5
• Pixel 6
• Pixel 6 Pro

Amplifying sounds, including conversations

To use the sound enhancer, press the play button, then select “Only this time”or “When using the app”at the privacy prompt. It can also ask if you want the tool to make and manage phone calls, and it’s up to you if you want it or not.

Now point your phone upside down, as that’s where the microphone is located, towards the sound you want to record. You’ll be able to hear any sound your microphone picks up and know when the instrument is boosting the sound by the moving colored ring around the pause button.

In an attempt to draw people’s attention to the conversation, point the microphone at the speaker. If you don’t want to worry too much about pointing the microphone, you can either use the microphone on your headphones (if you have them) or another type of external microphone, such as an omnidirectional lavalier. Tap the Device Microphone drop-down list under Microphone, then select a different audio input source.

You also have the option to amplify the sound coming from your phone. Click where it says “Sound around you”in the Amplify section, then select “Sound is playing on your phone”to turn it on.

Adjust the quality of amplified audio (optional)

Now that you have the sound you want to amplify, click on the tab that says Sound. Here you will see the settings for boosted sound. The slider on the left will increase the overall sound level, while the slider on the right will increase its clarity.

If you are talking to someone or using an earpiece to listen to music in a public place, you can further customize the mixing for each ear. Check the “Adjust ears separately”box below the sliders to enable this option. When enabled, there will be two gain and adjustment sliders for each ear.

The audio amplifier is also equipped with a noise reduction function for greater sound clarity. It can reduce ambient noise from the main sound you are amplifying. Select the “Noise”tab to access it, and you’ll have the choice of reducing noise to low, medium, or high.

Join the Conversation Mode Beta (Optional)

A new feature available in the latest Pixel update (SQ1A.211205.008) dated December 6th is Talk Mode, compatible with Pixel 3 and later. This is a beta feature, so you won’t see it until you sign up for the beta and get approved.

The audio booster’s talk mode can help you hear conversations better in noisy environments. It filters out unwanted external distractions and enhances the speech dialogue itself, completely processed on the device, making it easier to communicate in noisy public places.

When you start talking mode, you need to point your device’s camera at the person’s face, centering it in a circle on the screen. Once it locks into that person’s voice, you can click “Pin”so you can put your phone down so you can talk normally without a phone between your faces.

The conversation mode is still in beta testing, so things are subject to change. We’ll keep an eye out for any interesting additions or modifications you need to know about.