Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro appear to get promised DAC fixes with June Feature Drop

Andrew Romero | Jun 8 2022 - 11:15 am PT

Since the release of the Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, users have complained about one major issue with their devices – DACs did not work with the brand new Pixel 6. Though that has been a big issue, it seems that the June Pixel update has finally fixed this long-running issue.

Towards the end of March, we discovered that the upcoming June Pixel update would feature something called “Direct USB Access.” This, in essence, allows the Pixel 6 to communicate with external DACs (digital-to-analog converters) and allow them to do all the work when it comes to processing Hi-Fi audio. The issue arose when a DAC needed full control over audio processing, at which point the Pixel 6 and any DAC couldn’t seem to coexist.

While some are still waiting for the June update to come around to their Pixels, users on Reddit have noted that the new update does indeed fix the broken DAC system on the Pixel 6. According to these users, giving an app exclusive control over a DAC works perfectly fine. To test out the difference between audio quality expected and audio quality heard, users made use of USB Audio Player Pro. This app is renowned for letting users play high-quality music and can now be used in full on the Pixel 6.

We haven’t had a chance to test out the new DAC compatibility to the full, but we expect it’ll be a relief to a lot of Pixel 6 users who have been holding on to a DAC and haven’t had a chance to use it properly yet. Have you received the June Pixel update and tried running an external DAC? Let us know if you’re experiencing better audio quality and an improved experience!