Sony apparently played a big role in bringing high-quality wireless audio to Android O

Android O doesn’t look all that different from Nougat on the surface, but under the hood it packs numerous enhancements. Apparently, Google didn’t decide what Android O would be on its own, with some Android partners contributing bits and pieces, including Sony…

According to Google (via The Verge), Sony has so far contributed to more than 30 feature enhancements on Android O, and over 250 bug fixes as well.

Among the long list of things included in Android O is better support for Bluetooth audio, allowing for better streaming quality on various smartphones. Apparently, Sony played a big role in this department, as the company’s assistance helps Android become a platform more well suited to high-res audio.

Android O will support Sony’s LDAC wireless audio coding tech which can transfer more data compared to Bluetooth on your standard smartphone. LDAC can apparently get a bitrate up to 990kbps compared to standard wireless audio coding which falls around 330kbps. In layman’s terms, this will allow audio to be transmitted closer to its original quality. Sony already packs this tech in its Android phones, but since it’s now a part of Android O natively, it means that any OEM will be able to use it with compatible audio devices.

Obviously, this isn’t a change that will affect everyone as most Bluetooth speakers don’t support LDAC, but for anyone who is into audio and is willing to check out LDAC compatible products, this opens up a lot more phones in the Android ecosystem…