Android 13 beta adds noise canceling for phone calls

Google has incorporated a new feature in the Android 13 beta that should suppress background noise during phone calls. Phones often do this with hardware, in the form of an extra microphone, but Google comes here with a software option.

Android expert Mishaal Rahman discovered the feature while rummaging through the new Android 13 QPR1 beta 1. Google calls the feature Clear Calling and its description says “reduces background noise during phone calls.” Remarkably, the feature is “available for most mobile networks”, but “not for WiFi calling”. There is currently no explanation as to why these conditions apply.

Rahman also shares the steps needed to activate the function. For this, users have to enter some adb commands on, for example, a desktop PC that is connected to the phone via USB. Root access is not necessary in this case. The version of Android where this feature is locatedis available for the Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a and Pixel 6 series.

Rahman already has a deep dive of Android 13 shared on Esper.io, as he often does with new versions of Android. There is no such article about Android 13 QPR1 beta 1 yet, although it is expected that the man is working on it.

Smartphones already do noise canceling during phone calls, by using an extra microphone. This is not aimed at the mouth of the user when he or she is calling, but rather at the environment. It picks out ambient noise so that the phone knows which sound to filter out from the input of the main microphone.

Google’s solution in itself is not new; it offers the same function for example already for Google Meet on. Nvidia offers owners of its video cards the so-called RTX Voice which produces the same effect on computers. Despite the name it is no longer exclusive to the RTX 2000 series and newer. Discord also offers noise canceling from Krisp at.