The best part of Pixel smartphones is the clever and useful software. Now, one of Google’s best Pixel-exclusive apps, Recorder, is adding support for external mics and Bluetooth headphones for more flexible recording.
Rolling out now through the Play Store, Google Recorder v2.1 adds more flexible options for recording audio. In previous versions of the app, Recorder could only capture audio through the phone’s built-in microphones.
Now, Google Recorder supports capturing audio from external audio sources. For most people, the exciting part of that is the ability to use Bluetooth headphones with Google Recorder. This would enable recording audio from wherever you are, even if the phone isn’t nearby. Alternatively, you can also use a dedicated external microphone connected over USB or Bluetooth.
A new option in the settings menu allows for Google Recorder to “auto-detect” external audio sources, and once you start a recording with another source available, the app will automatically start using that source. You can then switch back to the phone’s mics. Alternatively, you can set the app to always use the phone’s mic, but this actually blocks the ability to use external mics entirely.
Weirdly, though, I couldn’t get my recordings to go through my Pixel Buds or AirPods connected to a Pixel 5. Kyle, on the other hand, got it working immediately but did note that it seemed like switching to the phone’s mic didn’t actually work while the Pixel Buds were still connected.
This functionality is available as a part of the 2.1 update, not as a server-side change.
More on Google Recorder:
- Google Recorder 2.0 removes ‘Save to Google Drive’ shortcut, now widely available
- Pixel 5’s new Google Recorder app starts rolling out early w/ new editing features
- Google AI details the ML behind Pixel 4’s Recorder app
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