Pixel phones can adjust vibration strength based on your surroundings in Android 15

Ben Schoon | May 16 2024 - 7:07 am PT

Google had added a clever new “Adaptive Vibration” setting in Android 15 Beta 2 which allows Pixel phones to use their microphones to adjust vibration strength.

We’ve probably all been caught in a situation where the vibration on our phones ended up being louder than the ringer it was meant to replace. It’s long been possible to manually adjust the vibration strength, but Google is now building on that.

Debuting in Android 15 Beta 2, Google has added “Adaptive Vibration” to Pixel phones. This new option, which is found under the “Vibration & haptics” menu in Settings, defaults to off. Google explains that the setting will automatically adjust vibration strength based on your surroundings based on sensors.

The page says:

Automatically adjusts your phone’s vibrations based on your environment.

Your phone’s microphone and other sensors are used to determine sound levels and context. No data is ever recorded.

The animation shown on the new page for Adaptive Vibration shows the vibration strength lowering when it is on a table, implying that that’s what Pixel phones will do when the setting is turned on.

This is separate from an existing setting, “Adaptive alert vibration,” which can lessen vibration strength when the phone is facing up with its screen on. That feature debuted on Pixel 7a.

We’ll have to wait and see how this feature works out in real life, but it certainly seems useful. Android Authority says that the feature was being built out in previous beta builds, but it’s now available, though still disabled by default – it’s always hard to know when these things might go live.

If Google’s various other “Adaptive” settings shown anything, it’s that this new option could prove invaluable to the experience in the long run.