My usual Nothing Ear (a) settings are LDAC, “Treble Boost,” and Dynamic Bass at level 4. I enjoy the lively V-shaped balance of crisp treble and strong bass. On the subway, though, background noise can leave the volume feeling lower than I’d like.
Turning up the volume made me hesitate because I worried about distortion or a tearing sound. While looking for an explanation, I found repeated recommendations on Reddit to change Android’s Bluetooth AVRCP setting from 1.5 to 1.6. I tried it and heard the clear, punchy result I wanted without audible breakup. The steps below record what I changed on my phone, rather than a change of earphones or listening equipment.
1. Enabling Developer Options
First, reveal the phone’s hidden Developer Options menu. This should take less than a minute.
- Go to Settings and tap About Phone.
- Find Build Number and tap it seven times in a row.
- Once prompted, enter your phone’s lock screen PIN to enable Developer Mode.
- Return to the main Settings menu, and you will see Developer Options at the bottom.
2. Applying AVRCP Version 1.6
Now, it is time to change the Bluetooth transmission standard within the new menu.
- Enter Developer Options and scroll to the Networking section.
- Tap Bluetooth AVRCP Version and change the default from 1.5 to 1.6.
- Depending on your device, you may need to toggle Bluetooth off and on, or perform a full system reboot for the changes to take effect.
What is Bluetooth AVRCP?
AVRCP is the Bluetooth profile that acts like a remote-control language between devices. The initials stand for Audio/Video Remote Control Profile and describe how a phone and earphones exchange playback commands.
- A2DP (Audio Distribution Profile): Handles the transmission of the audio itself.
- AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control Profile): Handles how that audio is controlled (volume, play/pause, etc.).
Android often defaults to older versions to ensure maximum compatibility. Understanding the versions helps explain why 1.6 is superior:
- AVRCP 1.3 (2007): Introduced basic metadata transfer like track titles and artist names.
- AVRCP 1.4 (2008): Introduced “Absolute Volume,” which synchronizes the volume between the phone and the earbuds.
- AVRCP 1.5 (2012): Optimized Absolute Volume control and improved connection stability.
- AVRCP 1.6 (2014): The latest standard, which maximizes data transfer efficiency and adds support for album art.
Experiencing the Sound Change
Strictly speaking, AVRCP controls the interface rather than carrying the audio itself. That distinction matters: it shouldn’t be understood as a direct sound-quality or volume-boost effect. My interpretation is that the setting recovered volume I had been losing through the interaction between the devices, rather than adding an entirely new gain stage.
After changing to 1.6, I noticed a small increase in perceived volume. Previously, turning it up on a noisy subway made me worry about breakup. Now, the bass at level 4 and the high frequencies sound more distinct. To my ears, the 1.6 setting seems to let the high-bitrate LDAC setup perform more confidently without distortion.
If you have the same hesitation about raising Bluetooth volume, this is a setting you can try. My result was a small but welcome subjective improvement in the setup I was already enjoying, and that is why I’ve kept the steps here for reference.
