updated
Aug 11, 2026
12MB
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10.9K
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Bluetooth Codec Changer is an Android app from AmrG DEV that lets you pick and lock the Bluetooth codec your phone uses - LDAC, aptX, AAC, LHDC or LC3 instead of whatever the system settles on - with an equalizer, a latency test and per-app codec profiles alongside, free to install with some features reserved for a paid tier.
Most Android phones connect over Bluetooth using SBC, the oldest and lowest-quality codec in the standard, even when the phone and the headphones both support something far better.
The result is flattened detail, a narrow stereo image and, during games or video, audio that drifts behind the picture.
Download Bluetooth Codec Changer 2.3.1 to take that decision back from the phone - though read the note below on what costs money first.
Free to install, with a paid tier.
The app costs nothing to download and try, but some features sit behind a premium upgrade and the developer does not publish a clear split. Check inside the app before assuming a particular feature is included, and treat any site telling you the whole thing is free with suspicion.
Why Your Phone Picks the Wrong Codec
Bluetooth audio quality is settled by a negotiation between two devices, which in theory lands on the best codec they both support.
In practice Android often settles for SBC, for reasons that have nothing to do with sound - power saving, a weak signal at the moment of pairing, or a manufacturer default nobody revisited. Once it lands there it usually stays until something forces a change.
The gap matters. LDAC can carry close to 990 kbps, aptX variants cut the delay that ruins video and games, and SBC sits at the bottom of every measure.
If you are not sure what your gear supports, the guide on how to check which Bluetooth codecs your phone supports takes a couple of minutes, and which is the best Bluetooth codec compares them properly.
What the App Does
It surfaces the codec negotiation Android hides, and holds the connection where you put it.
- Pick and lock a codec. SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, LDAC, LHDC, LC3 and Samsung's SSC, with sample rate and bit depth controls alongside.
- Auto-switch on connect. Your chosen codec reapplies whenever a device connects, so you set it once instead of after every reconnection.
- Codec profiles. Save separate setups for music, calls and gaming, and switch between them in a tap.
- Per-app profiles. Link a profile to an app so your settings change automatically when you open it.
- An equalizer. Bass boost, loudness and stereo balance applied to the Bluetooth output itself.
Codec selection sits a couple of taps from the home screen, so it works for someone who has never met the word "codec" as well as for anyone chasing maximum bitrate.
The Measuring Tools Are the Underrated Part
Most codec apps ask you to trust your ears. This one gives you numbers, which matters when the difference between codecs is genuinely subtle.
A built-in latency test measures the real round-trip delay of your headphones in milliseconds, and lets you compare codecs directly. If lip-sync is your complaint, this tells you whether switching actually helped.
A live bitrate monitor reports the connection's measured bitrate in the notification shade, which is the quickest way to catch a link that has quietly dropped back to SBC.
It also shows headphone battery level and a life estimate, and carries a community database of phones and headphones so you can look up what a device supports before you buy it.
Check What Your Hardware Supports First
Forcing LDAC onto headphones that do not support it changes nothing - the link simply falls back. Confirming your hardware first saves a lot of guessing.
Codec Info lists every audio and video codec your Android device actually supports, so you know which targets are real.
Samsung owners have an extra option worth understanding: their phones ship Samsung Seamless Codec, which this app can select as SSC.
The wider strategy behind it is covered in our report on Samsung's new Bluetooth audio codecs, and if you listen on a PC as well, using LDAC on Windows 11 covers the desktop side.
Why Take the APK Rather Than the Play Store
The app is on Google Play, so if Play works on your phone that is usually the simpler route and it updates itself.
The file here earns its place in the familiar cases: you want a specific version, you are setting up more than one device from a single download, or your Play install keeps failing.
Either way, run it through our APK Checker first and confirm the package name reads com.amrg.bluetooth_codec_converter. Our guide to installing an APK safely covers the rest.
Where It Sits Among Your Other Audio Apps
This app controls the wireless link itself, which makes it complementary to whatever is playing or recording.
If you record on your phone, Dolby On cleans up the capture and a better codec preserves it on the way to your headphones.
For watching, a forced high-quality codec alongside VLC for Android or MX Player means decode and transmission are both working in your favour.
If a film plays with no sound at all, that is a decoder problem rather than a Bluetooth one - MX Player Custom Codec is the usual fix.
The Android APK section has the rest, and the audio codecs category covers the desktop equivalents.
One last thing worth saying: no codec rescues a bad source file. If you are listening to something heavily compressed to begin with, our online audio converter is the place to start instead.
Quick questions
Is Bluetooth Codec Changer free?
It is free to install and there is a paid tier for some features. The developer does not publish a clear breakdown of which side particular features fall on, so check in the app before relying on one.
Will it improve sound on any headphones?
Only if your headphones support a better codec than the one currently in use. If they are SBC-only, nothing here will change that - check first with Codec Info.
Can it fix audio lagging behind video?
Often, by switching to a lower-latency codec such as aptX Adaptive. The app also has a latency test that measures the delay in milliseconds, so you can confirm the change worked rather than guessing.
Does a higher-quality codec drain the battery faster?
Yes, on both the phone and the headphones - LDAC at its highest setting moves several times the data SBC does. The app has a power-saving option if you want to sit somewhere in the middle.
Why does my phone keep reverting to SBC?
Android renegotiates on every connection and often settles low. The auto-switch feature exists for exactly this, reapplying your choice whenever a device reconnects.
Should I install the APK or use Google Play?
Play, if it works on your phone - it updates automatically. Take the APK if you need a specific version, are setting up several devices, or Play installs keep failing.
Take the codec decision back from your phone, and the headphones you already own start sounding like the headphones you actually bought.
Download Bluetooth Codec Changer 2.3.1 and see what it does for your setup, or tell us how you got on if you have used it before.
