Audio test and measurement specialists Audio Precision has announced the development of an Android app for use with the APx family of analyzers that measures the audio performance of Android smartphones and tablets.
The app allows for previously inaccessible Android signal path usage along with the recording of needed information and porting of that information to an APx analyzer. In addition it will test Bluetooth signal paths “including the playback of stimulus waveforms over Bluetooth Hands-Free Profile (HFP) without initiating a phone call over the network,” according to a release.
The whole process can be automated and operated via USB.
A release explains: “The ability to route analog audio through arbitrary inputs and outputs in loopback mode makes testing much faster than record and playback and enables real-time electroacoustic measurements. In addition, the default media player is bypassed, so there is no risk of user settings, EQ or resampling interfering with measurements.”
Concerning Bluetooth, it adds, “The ability to open a SCO and send signals over Bluetooth HFP directly from the phone takes the mobile network’s audio performance out of the equation. The stock Android OS does not allow files to be streamed over HFP. The AP app overrides this behavior, allowing direct evaluation of the Bluetooth connection quality independent of the mobile network (the weakest link in the signal chain).”
The app provides sine, continuous sweep and multitone signals. The app is free. It requires Android 4.0 or higher.
