Help Volume Decreases Gradually When Using USB-C Headphones or Speaker (Samsung Galaxy S21+)

[Dave Satterlee]

Whenever I have either a set of headphones or a small speaker plugged into the USB-C port of my Samsung Galaxy S21+ the volume will very slowly and gradually lower itself until it's just about impossible to hear. If I close whatever audio app I'm listening to and reopen it the volume will usually return to it's original level only to once again start to decrease all on its own.

This doesn't happen when connected to Bluetooth, it's simply a problem when some sort of headphone or speaker is attached via USB-C. Also, this isn't the volume protection setting that prevents the earphones from accidentally blasting your eardrums. I've turned that feature off and it's still happening.

Note: Everything I use is via a 3.5mm headphone to USB-C adapter. Since I don't own any headphones or speakers that have their own USB-C connection I can't be sure if the problem is with the phone or the USB-C adapters (plural because it happens with every adapter I own, despite their being different brands and models.)

Thanks for any help anyone can offer!

 

[ocnbrze]

what troubleshooting have you done? reboot the phone? clear cache for the music apps you use? maybe even clear data for the apps as well. uninstall and reinstall the apps?

and is this issue over time, gradually? or right away the volume decreases? does this happen on other headphones?

 

[mikedt]

Whenever I have either a set of headphones or a small speaker plugged into the USB-C port of my Samsung Galaxy S21+ the volume will very slowly and gradually lower itself until it's just about impossible to hear. If I close whatever audio app I'm listening to and reopen it the volume will usually return to it's original level only to once again start to decrease all on its own.

This doesn't happen when connected to Bluetooth, it's simply a problem when some sort of headphone or speaker is attached via USB-C. Also, this isn't the volume protection setting that prevents the earphones from accidentally blasting your eardrums. I've turned that feature off and it's still happening.

Note: Everything I use is via a 3.5mm headphone to USB-C adapter. Since I don't own any headphones or speakers that have their own USB-C connection I can't be sure if the problem is with the phone or the USB-C adapters (plural because it happens with every adapter I own, despite their being different brands and models.)

Thanks for any help anyone can offer!

Didn't your S21+ come with a set of AKG branded wired earbuds, that have a USB-C connector? Which I believe all current flagship Samsung devices come with, like the S21 and Note20 series.

To possibly rule out any problems the phone is having with whatever third-party USB-C to 3.5mm headphone jack adapters.

 

[Dave Satterlee]

Didn't your S21+ come with a set of AKG branded wired earbuds, that have a USB-C connector? Which I believe all current flagship Samsung devices come with, like the S21 and Note20 series.

To possibly rule out any problems the phone is having with whatever third-party USB-C to 3.5mm headphone jack adapters.

Thanks for replying. No, Samsung has stopped including earbuds with their phones. Or at least they've done so with the S21+. From what I'm reading online a lot of folks are pretty unhappy about it. In the meantime I'll take your advice and try my phone with a direct-connect USB-C set of phones and see what happens. Thanks again!

 

[Dave Satterlee]

what troubleshooting have you done? reboot the phone? clear cache for the music apps you use? maybe even clear data for the apps as well. uninstall and reinstall the apps?

and is this issue over time, gradually? or right away the volume decreases? does this happen on other headphones?

Thanks for replying. Good suggestions all but unfortunately none of them did the trick. The decrease in volume is gradual; I'll plug in the phones or speaker and start listening. The decrease is very gradual, not noticeable at all at first but within maybe 15-30 minutes the sound is so low that you can't hear it anymore. That's when I have to close the app, re-open it and resume playback, at which time the volume is back to where it should be only to start all over again. I've so far tried using three different sets of earbuds and a pillow speaker (a simple speaker that you place under your pillow at night so that you can listen to things in bed without disturbing the person next to you.

 

[puppykickr]

Are these adapters unpowered, or do they require batteries?