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Google intends to alert regular users of headphones to the risks if they listen to music too loudly. This will go through a new type of notification on Android 14 and even a cleaning incentive for Pixel Buds owners.
One of the new features expected from Android 14 will therefore be the implementation of alerts related to sound volume in order to prevent any risk of hearing problems, according to Android Police website. Using your headphones for too long at too high a volume can damage your hearing. This is why Google undertakes to alert users of Android smartphones when they expose themselves too long to excessive volumes.
Pay attention to the volume of your music
Until now, an alert appears when the sound exceeds 85 dB. You are then free to agree to push the volume up to 100 dB, otherwise you will receive a new warning 20 hours later. Under Android 14, alerts should be more intelligently targeted, in the event of overexposure to excessively loud and prolonged listening sessions. Concretely, there should be several forms of warning, of the type “The headset volume has exceeded the safe limit for this week”, depending on the exposure time and the level of sound volume recorded. Each time the sound will be automatically lowered, but it will of course always be possible to raise it again, at your own risk.
But that’s not all, Google will also remind you to clean your dirty headphones soon, according to this time 9to5Google. In fact, this will be exclusively for Google’s Pixel Buds and will take the form of a callback, akin to “it’s time to clean your headphones”, appearing on the smartphone screen after every 120 hours of use. Of course, nothing prevents you from cleaning them more often. It is even highly recommended.
Don’t forget to clean your headphones
Regarding the cleaning of the headphones, it is recommended to use a clean, soft and dry cloth. Before cleaning the headphones, the tips should be removed. If necessary, a slightly dampened cotton swab can help remove deposits. Be careful not to use detergent and do not perform this operation while the headphones are charging.
Like every year, the brand new version of Android will be deployed in the fall, and as usual, Pixel smartphone owners will be the first to be served. The manufacturers (Samsung, Xiaomi, etc.) will then communicate their calendar concerning their compatible models and the dates of the switch to Android 14.
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