Sound Amplifier

Google LLC

About this app

Sound Amplifier makes everyday conversations and surrounding sounds more accessible among people who are hard of hearing, using just your Android phone and a pair of headphones. Use Sound Amplifier to filter, augment, and amplify sounds around you and on your device.

Features
• Reduce unwanted noise to recognize speech better.
• Focus on a speaker’s voice in noisy environments with conversation mode. (Available for Pixel 3 and above.)
• Listen to conversations, TV, or lectures. For audio sources that are farther away, Bluetooth headphones are recommended. (Bluetooth headphones might have delayed sound transmission.)
• Personalize your listening experience for surrounding conversation or media playing on your device. You can reduce noise or boost low frequency, high frequency, or quiet sounds. Set your preferences for both ears or separately for each ear.
• Turn Sound Amplifier on and off using the accessibility button, a gesture, or Quick Settings. Learn more about the accessibility button, gesture and Quick Settings: https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/7650693

Requirements
• Available for Android 8.1 and later.
• Pair your Android device with headphones.
• Conversation mode is currently available on Pixel 3 and above.

Send us your feedback on Sound Amplifier by emailing: [e-mail]. For help using Sound Amplifier, connect with us at https://g.co/disabilitysupport.

Permissions Notice
• Microphone: Access to the microphone will allow Sound Amplifier to process the audio for amplification and filtering. No data is collected or stored.
• Accessibility Service: Since this app is an accessibility service, it can observe your actions, retrieve window content, and observe text that you type.

Ratings and reviews

Worse than nothing. Even at maximum volume, the mic phone audio is almost silent on my Bluetooth earbuds, and there is a definite delay. I hear the external audio with my ear, then a very faint copy after. I can definitely hear better without an ear bud in my ear, let alone with one repeating poorly out of sync. It appears they have been "working" on these issues since 2019, so I have little hope in this ever working.

Wow. Can't believe this isn't advertised at all. There's way more to this than meets the eye. Highly recommend. Wish there was a way to have the app more presentable in the apps menu. Seem to only be able to find it using accessibility menus. Or you can go through the play store to see that it's installed and then activate it. Not that user friendly trying to get to it, but once you've got it going.... wow.

It's a great idea - although the need to have wired headphones is a flaw that they will need to fix. It'd be great if you could talk to a person and they can speak as if your phone was on a table and you didn't have to seem to lean in near your phone. Or you could get up from a fixed environment (ex: leaving the table to get a drink) while they are talking and not have to pause them. (I know latency is the issue)

What’s new

This update includes bug fixes.