What you need to know
- Currently, the user-interface for switching audio inputs in Android is disjointed and varies on a per-app basis, or is absent altogether in some instances.
- Android 16 could make the operating system more consistent by introducing a system-wide audio switcher.
- The new UI interface, still in its early stages, would make Android 16 behave more like Windows 11.
Android might be taking a few notes from Windows 11. Google may be prepping an Android 16 feature that introduces a system-wide audio switcher that, among other things, would make it possible to use an external microphone input in any Android app.
Mishaal Rahman discovered code in the latest Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3 release that adds an audio input section to the current switcher that has been a staple since Android 11 (via Android Authority). Rahman managed to activate this feature, and you can see how it'll look in Android 16 in the screenshots below.
The first screenshot depicts how apps that support external microphones in Android 15 handle input switching. It requires the app developer to use the MediaRecorder API, and few apps support it. That's why an input switcher in Android's system-wide media dialog would be useful, but as the second screenshot shows, Android 15 currently only supports changing audio output. The final, far-right screenshot serves as an example of how audio switching might work in Android 16, which could add a separate section for changing your audio input.
Rahman notes that although the Android 16 media switcher was visible, it didn't work properly. Changing the system audio input didn't allow the use of an external microphone on an Android phone. Since the early version of the dialog references "This computer" instead of "This phone," Rahman suspects that this feature is designed specifically for PCs that run Android.
Being that Android 16 is quite far away, it's unclear whether this version of the media switcher will make it into the update's public release, or which devices will be supported. System-wide support of external microphones would be extremely helpful for high-end tablets and PCs that run Android, and slightly less so for phones. However, a default switcher would eliminate the need for developers to use the MediaRecorder API, thus making the experience of using external audio inputs on the platform more consistent and streamlined.
