The Netflix update makes the crazy speakers of your Android phone sound better

Netflix has outlined an upgrade to its Android app, which should reduce buffering and make sound better and easier to hear due to background noise. This was made possible by the adoption of the xHE-AAC codec, which, according to a Netflix blog post, “should improve comprehensibility in noisy environments, adapt to changing cellular connections and scale to studio quality.” Netflix’s use of the codec was announced earlier this month and is available on devices running Android 9 and higher.

xHE-AAC uses metadata to solve a few different audio issues that people have when watching apps on mobile devices. Netflix explains that it is often a problem of loud background noises that make content difficult to hear, combined with weak and thin phone speakers that sound bad when you try to increase the volume. Inconsistent dialog levels also mean you have to constantly turn your volume up and down between shows.

Netflix says xHE-AAC offers better Dynamic Range Control, a technology that reduces the difference between the loudest and quietest parts of a show. Silent content is made louder so you can hear it over background noise, and the volume of hard content is brought down to clip, theoretically without compromising the sound quality. Netflix also says that the volume of dialogue is kept consistent between shows.

Finally, the codec also supports ‘seamless bitrate conversion’, which means it should work better in environments with inconsistent internet speeds. In 2019, Netflix added similar customizable bitrate features to its TV shows.

Netflix says user tests have shown the benefits of the codec. The volume change between content is “noticeably lower” and viewers switch 7% less frequently with the built-in speakers of their phone with the new codec. Netflix says it hopes to bring the codec to other platforms that support it. For those who are keeping up, iPhones have been supporting xHE-AAC since the release of iOS 13 in 2019.