In case you don’t know, normally, everything that is played with a sample rate (sample rate) above 48Khz on Android is changed by the operating system on the USB output to 48Khz. That is, it does not matter if a song in “Hi-res” (96kHz/24bit) [1] or above (192Khz/24 bit) is being played on streaming services like Tidal or Qobuz, Android phones will change the sample rate to 48Hz on the USB output most of the time. Although we have recommended in our article [2] the use of USB DACs (digital-to-analog-converter) to enjoy the transmission of music in lossless formats, depending on the situation it will be necessary one more step.
The solution to prevent the Android operating system (OS) from resampling (resizing) the “lossless” music to 48Khz is to use software that makes the transmission occur by accessing an audio path called “direct”. That is, instead of the cell phone’s audio output being limited to 44100Hz or 48000Hz by the Android audio system, the program will ignore this rule and use the full potential of the cell’s DAC (if there is a headphone output ) or the external DAC.
According to Oficina da Net reader Adrian Borges, in the case of Tidal, it is now possible to access the DAC exclusively via a USB OTG (On-The-Go) cable on Android, without the need to use third-party apps. However, in the case of Qobuz, the version for Google’s mobile operating system is still not able to do the same, requiring an extra application.
[1] “What is Hi-Res Audio” article.
[2] “How to Enjoy Lossless Streaming on Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Deezer” article.
How to access maximum audio quality of music files on Android?
An application called USB Audio Player PRO (UAPP) was developed for the exact purpose of circumventing the resample made by the Android audio system. Through a USB audio driver created especially for cell phones with Google’s mobile operating system, music playback and transmission will be processed directly by the cell’s USB DAC or DAC (if it is considered “Hi-res” or higher) .
According to eXtream Software Development, the company responsible for the UAPP, when using a USB DAC it is necessary to use a USB OTG (On-The-Go) cable. This type of cable allows for greater flexibility in connection management.
note: The app developer warns that there may be cases where an OTG cable does not work and a simple replacement for another one will solve the problem.
Alternative to UAPP: Hiby Music
Another way to access lossless streaming services is through the Hiby Music app. In June 2021, its developer, Hiby, announced that it was adding the ability to utilize the Tidal library within the app. This is a free alternative for anyone who wants to avoid the Android resample and reach the “bit perfect”.
Using the UAPP app to access maximum audio quality on Android
Before starting the tutorial on how to use UAPP on Android to extract the maximum quality from songs played on Android, it is important to review what we will need to carry out the procedure.
Equipment and programs needed:
- USB Audio Player PRO (UAPP)
- USB DAC/amp (“USB headphone adapters”)
- USB OTG cable
- Mobile with Android operating system (OS)
First, download the USB Audio Player PRO (UAPP) app from the Play Store (Android app store). Now, follow the steps below to correctly use UAPP.
Step 01: Connect the USB OTG cable to the cell phone.
Step 02: Connect the USB DAC/amp to the OTG cable.
Step 03: Open the UAPP.
Step 04: When opening the application, a window will appear asking which driver you want to use (the standard Android audio driver or the HiRes direct driver, which was developed by eXtream Software Development).
Step 05: Open Tidal or Qobuz within UAPP.
The UAPP developer has a list of verified devices for the correct functioning of the app. Of course there will be more devices that will work with the app, as the market always has new releases. However, it’s good to have something as a reference, so check it out below.
| Brand | Model | |
| aquarius | X Pro | |
| Asus | Zenfone Max Pro M1 | |
| Bphone | B1114 | |
| BQ | Aquaris X2 | |
| cayin | N6MK2 | |
| FiiO | M11 | |
| FiiO | M11 PRO | |
| FiiO | M15 | |
| FiiO | X5viii | |
| FiiO | X7 | |
| FiiO | X7ii | |
| Fujitsu | F-02H | |
| Gigaset | ME | |
| hiby | R5 | |
| hiby | R6 | |
| hiby | R6 PRO | |
| honor | 8 PRO | |
| honor | 9 | |
| honor | 10 | |
| honor | play | |
| HTC | 10 | |
| HTC | One A9 | |
| Huawei | New | |
| Huawei | P30 | |
| iBasso | DX150 | |
| iBasso | DX160 | |
| iBasso | DX200 | |
| iBasso | DX220 | |
| LeEco | Max2 | |
| Lenovo | Legion Pro | |
| Lenovo | P2 | |
| Lenovo | Z2 Plus | |
| Lenovo | Z5 PRO | |
| letv | X900 | |
| LG | G2 | |
| LG | G6 | |
| LG | G7 | |
| LG | G7 Fit | |
| LG | G7 One | |
| LG | G8 | |
| LG | G8X | |
| LG | Q7+ | |
| LG | Q9 | |
| LG | Q9 One | |
| LG | Style 4 (Q7) | |
| LG | V10 | |
| LG | V20 | |
| LG | V30 | |
| LG | V35 | |
| LG | V40 | |
| LG | V50 | |
| LG | V60 | |
| Motorola | E5 | |
| Motorola | G5 Plus | |
| Motorola | G6 | |
| Motorola | one | |
| Motorola | Z2 Play | |
| Nokia | 7 Plus | |
| Nokia | X7 | |
| Nokia | 6 | |
| Nokia | 8 | |
| Nokia | 8.1 | |
| Nubia | Red Magic 5G | |
| Nubia | Z11 | |
| OnePlus | 3Q and new | |
| onkyo | grandbeat | |
| onkyo | DP-X1 | |
| Oppo | A5 | |
| Oppo | A92 | |
| Oppo | Find X2 Lite | |
| Oppo | Find X2 PRO | |
| Oppo | Rhine 5 | |
| Oppo | Rhine 10x | |
| pioneer | XDP-100R | |
| pioneer | XDP-300R | |
| really | 5 PRO | |
| really | 6 PRO | |
| really | X2 PRO | |
| really | X3 Super Zoom | |
| really | XT | |
| Samsung | A11 | |
| Samsung | Note 8 | |
| Samsung | Note 9 | |
| Samsung | S6, S7, S8, S9, S10 and plus variants | |
| Shanling | M6 PRO | |
| Shanling | M8 | |
| sharp | Aquos R | |
| sharp | Aquos SHV34 | |
| sonim | XP8800 | |
| Sony | 1 | |
| Sony | 1 II | |
| Sony | NW-A105 | |
| Sony | X | |
| Sony | X Compact | |
| Sony | XA2 | |
| Sony | XZ Premium | |
| Sony | XZ1 | |
| Sony | XZ1 Compact | |
| Sony | XZ2 | |
| Sony | XZ3 | |
| Sony | Z5 | |
| Alive | xplay6 | |
| Alive | X20 Plus | |
| vsmart | Joy 3 | |
| vsmart | live | |
| wiki | WIM Lite | |
| Xiaomi | MI 4 to 10 | |
| Xiaomi | MI A1/A2 | |
| Xiaomi | MI CC9 PRO | |
| Xiaomi | MI Max 1/2 | |
| Xiaomi | IM Note 3 | |
| Xiaomi | MI PAD 4 | |
| Xiaomi | MIX 1 to 3 | |
| Xiaomi | Poco F2 PRO | |
| Xiaomi | little M3 | |
| Xiaomi | little X2 | |
| Xiaomi | Poco X3 NFC | |
| Xiaomi | Pocophone F1 | |
| Xiaomi | RedMI K30 and PRO | |
| Xiaomi | RedMI Note 3 to 10 | |
| Xiaomi | RedMI 4 to 8 | |
| Xiaomi | RedMI S2 | |
| Xiaomi | RedMI Y1 | |
| ZTE | axon 7 | |
| ZTE | axon 7 mini | |
| ZTE | Axon 10 PRO | |
| ZTE | Blade Max Z |