Why doesn't USB-C audio work?

[dcalde78]

I am forever irritated by the removal of a completely functional port in the form of a headphone jack.

I've upgraded from my deteriorating A72 (bought because it had a headphone jack) to an A55 and bought USB-C to 3.5mm adapters in advance - both an Apple one as it was reasonably priced, and an average one from amazon. Neither work with my Meze headphones that work perfectly in every other device that has a headphone jack. I've tried every fix I can find online, but nothing works. Dev options don't change anything, clearing caches doesn't work either. Why doesn't USB-C audio work out of the box? There's not even an option for audio in the USB settings. Are there any actual fixes for this issue or am I stuck with a device that's worse than my last one? 

I'm not buying USB-C specific headphones when I have a perfectly working pair that sound great. 

[Piper123]

You don't need a setting for usb audio as it is there as standard....

Don't believe this is a software issue myself.

[TechZilla]

Have you tried an app called USB Audio player pro? It works for me perfectly.

[Mushypea77]

I have the same problem. The headphones that came with my A54 dont work. Ive tried different ones. I use a jack usb c adapter to plug into our speaker. It works on my Samsung tablet but not on my A54. Yet I can use any brand adapter to charge the phone in the USB c port. Definitely a phone fault not the headphones. 😬

[dcalde78]

A third party app shouldn't be necessary for a basic feature such as playing audio through headphones.

[TechZilla]

You have asked for help and advice on your issues and have rejected the advice given to you kindly by other members on the community. We do not work for Samsung so if you want to reject what everyone has said then why ask for help?

[dcalde78]

"There as standard" apart from the fact it doesn't work. USB-C audio is a downgrade over 70 year old technology. One port limits what the phone can do at the same time and forces customers to buy more products to make existing ones compatible. It's a hugely anti-consumer practice that's unbelievably wasteful. Good wired headphones stay good, and there's a reason that high end audio doesn't use USB-C - it is simply worse than what it replaced.

The money savings on not including a headphone jack could well save companies a reasonable amount given the scale of purchasing, but removal hasn't resulted in any substantial improvements in other areas and tangible results to the end user.

The one option for audio on this phone is to disable USB audio. Which is a pointless option when it doesn't work in the first place. This is a long standing issue over multiple different brands and models of phone.

What makes it all worse is that Samsung have had adverts making fun of Apple for removing things out of the box and features from their phones, yet don't hesitate to follow in their footsteps.

[Piper123]

You need to resign yourself to the fact that 3.5mm jack is not coming back to Samsung flagships regardless of how much you complain.

I'm sorry if you don't like the answers you're being given but that is the state of play.

[dcalde78]

so as consumers, we should just allow companies to make products that are less featured than the ones that came before them, lie down and take it? I count myself lucky this A55 still has expandable storage, because it provides me with a cheap way to give my phone more storage. I can get 512GB of extra storage for less than what it costs to get an extra 128GB from Samsung. yes, I know that there are differences between the actual phone storage and using an SD card, but the point itself stands. 

I have a trip coming up and rather than face the multi hour flight/bus trip without any entertainment, I bit the bullet and bought USB-C earphones and I will concede that people here were right, they do work.  but I shouldn't have had to buy them in the first place. I already have a pair of 3.5mm earphones I used for travelling with, along with my big home headphones. I've had to buy 3 more accessories that I shouldn't have had to and two of those don't even work with this phone. had they included a pair of earphones in the box, this thread wouldn't exist because I would have just used those.

the enshittification of phones (and a lot more besides) is in full swing. it's not even about being eco as so many companies proclaim it is, it's about trying to give the customer less, but charge them the same or more as you used to and pushing the "option" of buying more products that you don't actually really need that will end up as e-waste within 3-5 years. I refuse to buy true wireless earbuds because they are not repairable, the batteries will wear out, and they will go in the bin. Samsung used to be that much better than Apple because they didn't blatantly copy the awful business practices. they're not the only ones that have buckled to the Apple trends though, and it's only going to get worse.

[Piper123]

Ok well you are absolutely welcome to your views and I wouldn't rubbish them.

I am, however, being realistic. The move away from 3.5mm jack is well enshrined and won't be reversed. That's where it is. It isn't about the cost of the port, it is about the wider use of space in a device as they get thinner and ever more tech in them.

If the 3.5mm jack is a show stopper, I would politely recommend you seek out a manufacturer and device that is available with that tech as Samsung and many others are moving away from it.

We shall leave it there.

[desn4in]

I have similar issue with my S24 Ultra, using usb-c audio for amateur radio purpose, via program called APRSdroid to USB-C cable that will key radio via audio output via USB-C, however the phone will always send the audio out the S24 Ultra's speaker and not via USB-C. Any ideas as to why it will not send audio via USB-C once cable is plugged in?