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]

Then it must be the adaptor.

Samsung won't be returning to the 3.5m jack, it is old tech and as they seek to make devices thinner and better the 3.5m jack has been withdrawn. Most Android devices are USB-C these days.

[dcalde78]

Both adapters are brand new out of the box, as is the phone. Removing the headphone jack creates a issue that shouldn't exist. Phones used to be thinner than what they are now and still came with them (iPhone 6). There are no benefits to the consumer as removal of such a small port doesn't provide any meaningful space within the phone for other parts.

I will not buy more headphones. The ones I have are fine. If I have to use an adapter, fine. But it shouldn't be this difficult to get something as simple as audio to work.

[Robin999]

Try the Anker. They get good reviews.

[Piper123]

I can only assume then that the tech inside the adapter isn't supported.

Either that or your headphones aren't.

Either way the 3.5m jack isn't slate to come back to Samsung flagships. Most manufacturers are moving to USB-C

[dcalde78]

If two brands of adapter already don't work properly, I don't see why buying another brand would do the trick. I've already spent £20 on the ones I have, which is £20 more than I should have had to spend because I should be able to plug in my headphones to a normal headphone jack.

The fact it was removed from the midrange phones is infuriating.

[dcalde78]

How can headphones not be supported? This is basic tech that's existed for over 50 years and still works perfectly fine. It was only removed so that people would have to spend more money on wireless headphones. It's infuriating. All I want to do is listen to music on my phone like I have for the last 15 years. Why does it have to be so difficult?

[Robin999]

Look, if you've just come to moan about the headphone jack, then fair enough. Meze moved on and introduced their Alba USB-C earphones. If you're not prepared to acknowledge that you have the wrong headphones for the job, then maybe you should move on too.

[dcalde78]

Meze also still sell the Neo 99s. Believe me, I can gripe about the headphone jack issue all day long, but if Samsung insist on not using it then their replacement should work with minimal effort - which it doesn't. I'm not the only one with this issue and it goes back years, it isn't a new thing that's suddenly appeared with the Ax5 line of phones.

The main reason I don't want to buy wireless headphones is that the vast majority are just manufactured e-waste and the ones that can actually be repaired have a premium on them. Hell I don't even like the fact I needed to buy a dongle it's the lesser of two evils. Even then, maybe this whole thing could be avoided if Samsung still actually sold their own adapter.

I have headphones that work, I should be able to use them.

[Piper123]

You've answered your own question...

"basic tech"

Tech is moving on so quickly. For example the S24 Ultra is a 64bit device and 32bit won't work in many cases.

As for why the 3.5mm jack port was removed, was not just to get people to trade up. The manufacturers are trying to cram more and more tech into their devices and things have to give. By using the charging point as a usb-c headphone port (dual purpose), that provided quite a bit of space either for other tech (like liquid cooling for example) or to make devices thinner / smaller. The EU also has a war on e-waste so reducing the number of components in a device certainly ticks that box.

Reality in this thread though is that you're not going to accept anything that isn't a return to a 3.5mm jack and I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. Most if not all manufacturers are doing away with 3.5mm jack and moving to USB-C.

[dcalde78]

Honestly, what I want is a fix. This is a software issue. I recognise the onward march of tech and omission of features is going to become more of a thing. If I have to buy an adapter, so be it as that's what I ended up having to do. But it shouldn't be this hard to make it work, when it has been the new standard for years. Not only that, bus Samsung making it that much more difficult by not selling their own accessories any more.

Would it be too much to ask for an option in USB settings that says "enable USB audio"? Cause it seems like that sort of option should be there, and it isn't.

Don't get me wrong, I like this phone. The macro camera is a weird choice, but overall it's a nice upgrade apart from one issue that shouldn't be an issue.