It seems that Google can soon equip the pixels devices with new hearing health settings that will allow users to choose whether to receive notifications from the system if the smartphone detects prolonged exposure to sounds with a high volume from the headphones.

It is certainly a positive addition in a world where in-ear headphones are increasingly widespread and where awareness of how important it is to prevent hearing loss is growing. Let’s find out all the details.

Hearing health: news coming to the pixels for listening to headphones

Analyzing the most recent version of the system app Android System Intelligencethe well -known Insider Assembradebug He discovered a “hidden menu” called Hearing well -being which, when implemented on the pixels, will be added to the “Sounds and vibration” section of the system settings (via Android Authority).

Inside this menu there will be two items:

  • Sound exposure notifications – The pixel will notify you in the event that your recommended sound exposure limit is exceeded.
  • Hearing health – this functionality is mandatory in some regions, as in the United States – It provides a notification and automatically lowers the volume of the headphones when you exceeded the recommended sound exposure limit.

These features, which are therefore designed to prevent the loss of hearing with listening in the headphones, are not entirely new but had already been announced as news on the pixels with Android 14, only to be made available for everyone on Android 15 (as long as the producers decided to enable it on their Roma).

Behind the “exposure level” is hidden a mechanism (or technology) called CSD, ComputeD Sound Doses: in a nutshell, these are doses “calculated” by the operating system that analyzes the audio signal in real time and combines the information with the mitigation/amplification of the volume for; The result is a level of dose exposure over seven days. Find more information on the Android portal.

The safety threshold is fixed on 100 dB in five minutes or on 105 db per minute. In the event that the limit is exceeded, a pop-up will appear on the pixel that asks the user to continue listening to or lowering the volume, in order to safeguard the health of the hearing. The implementation on Pixel devices could take place already in the next few days.

How to update the Android System Intelligence system app

The “Viva” summary widget in the system app Android System Intelligence which can be updated via the Google Play Store: just make a tap on the underlying badge then select “Update” in the event that the availability of an update was reported.

It is not clear whether these innovations are limited to some users (such as a kind of test or according to the region) or if they are intended to reach all users. However, it must be said that all users who have reported this novelty perform the beta of Android 16 QPR2: therefore, the rollout for all Pixel users could take place later.