How to Disable USB audio routing on Google Pixel 7

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This post will walk you through activating an Android developer feature that prompts the system to disable automatic routing of audio output to any USB audio peripherals connected to the Pixel 7 smartphone’s USB port. Here’s a quick guide to disable USB audio routing on the Google Pixel 7.

Estimate Cost : 0

Time Needed : 3 minutes

Every Android smartphone has a hidden Developer Options menu that contains a number of advanced features that are useful for configuring system behaviors like app profiling and debugging purposes.

Outlined below are the steps to activate one of the tools in the Developer options menu that you can use to disable automatic audio routing to external audio devices connected to the device through the USB port.

If you’re wondering how to access and activate this tool on your recently procured Pixel 7 smartphone, feel free to follow these subsequent instructions.

  1. To get started, launch the Settings app by tapping on the settings/gear icon from the Apps tray of your phone.

    enable usb debugging mode google

    Simply swipe up on the Home screen to access the Apps tray and then locate the Gear icon from there.

  2. While in the Settings app menu, scroll to find System from the given items and then tap on it to proceed.

    enable usb debugging mode google

    Another menu opens with system-related apps and features.

  3. Scroll down to the bottom section and then tap Developer Options.

    enable usb debugging mode google

    You will need to unlock the phone’s Developer mode beforehand in order to view and access the Developer Options menu.

    You can check out our separate guide on how to unlock Developer mode on Pixel 7, if you need help doing so. Just do a quick sitewide search on the topic.

  4. Once you’re in the Developer Options menu, navigate to the Media section then tap to turn on the switch next to Disable USB audio routing. 

    disable usb audio routing google

    Turning this Developer mode feature on will disable automatic routing to external audio devices or USB audio peripherals like a USB DAC or headset that's connected to your phone over a USB connection.

Tools
  • Settings
Materials
  • Google Pixel 7

When to Disable USB audio routing?

When an Android phone detects a compatible USB digital audio peripheral, the audio playback and capture are automatically routed. This is usually the case when using any of the typical USB host mode applications for telephony, instant messaging, voice chat, recording and music listening.

While this may not be an issue for normal usage, for advanced usage, the automatic routing may interfere with certain apps, particularly those with automatic USB detection functions. This is when disabling automatic audio routing in the Developer Options media section comes in handy.

And that’s how you disable the USB audio routing from the Google Pixel 7 Developer Options menu.

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Grace

Grace is always fascinated by technology, and her passion for it led her to become an IT professional. She started off as a computer instructor and later moved on to the BPO industry, where she worked as an account specialist and a technical support agent. From a computer instructor to a technical support specialist to a virtual technical content creator, Grace had come a long way. And she's only just getting started.
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