Netflix updated its Android app to make things sound better on Android devices

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Netflix knows its content doesn’t always sound the best on Android devices, so they’re pushing out a new update that basically makes it sound better on Android speakers.

How they’re doing it is a bit technical, but according to a company blog post, the update should “improve intelligibility in noisy environments, adapt to variable cellular connections, and scale to studio-quality.” This is all done via a new xHE-AAC codec, which the company introduced earlier this month.

Explaining how this works is a bit out of my wheelhouse, so here’s how The Verge sums it up:

xHE-AAC uses metadata to solve a few different audio problems people have when watching shows on mobile devices. Netflix explains this is often a problem of loud background noise making content hard to hear, combined with weak and tinny phone speakers that sound bad when you try to put up the volume. Inconsistent dialogue levels also mean you have to constantly turn your volume up and down between shows.

The new xHE-AAC codec also allows the app to make better use of Dynamic Range control. This is basically a technology that makes the loud parts quiet and the quiet parts loud.

A lot of the stuff Netflix included in the update can be found here in this blog post, but fair warning, there’s a lot of technical jargon being thrown around. The gist of it is that it makes content being played from Netflix on Android speakers will now sound better.

Have you noticed poor audio quality when using Netflix on an Android device? Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Netflix’s Shuffle Play feature will soon be available worldwide
• Here’s everything coming to Netflix in January 2021
• Netflix’s Android app now features an audio-only mode
• Netflix now gives parents a rundown of what their kids are watching

Kevin Raposo

Kevin is KnowTechie's founder and executive editor. With over 15 years of blogging experience in the tech industry, Kevin has transformed what was once a passion project into a full-blown tech news publication. Shoot him an email at kevin@knowtechie.com or find him on Mastodon or Post.