Latency issues solved in Android...?

[golemus]

I got an email where low latency audio issue in Google Issuetracker has been closed. Does this mean that there is finally adequete support in android for

1. low latency audio applications

2. low touchscreen latency

?

Link below:

https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/36908622



I have not really followed situation for very long time what has happened although I remember hearing rumors that since android 7.1 things are better and we are soon in android 9.

So if you now go to a shop and buy an ordinary android phone or tablet does it mean that you can most likely use audio applications without latency issues?

Or are there still some?

It would be nice to have for example some kind of integration between android tablet and Ableton Live or VST plugins. Still haven't heard of such a thing except for 3rd party solutions which don't seem that robust or user friendly but more for tech savvy musicians.

[BertKoor]

Yes, there are two methods now for app developers to have low latency audio. Only on devices that support it!
But it's up to the developers to actually use these methods.

So the pain isn't over yet.

[planeth]

So if you now go to a shop and buy an ordinary android phone or tablet does it mean that you can most likely use audio applications without latency issues?

If you buy a Google Pixel Phone or any other adequate high end android device that comes with the latest Android OS, then yes, you can use all audio applications that have a modern audio backing (means these apps use the new low latency api's) without latency issues.

If you're buying rather cheap android phone, then you can be sure that it will be shipped with Android 6 or 7, and it will never ever get Android 9, not even Android 8. In other words, these phones might have latency issues. But over time, more and more devices will support it (even the cheaper ones).

Low latency is nothing new on Android, not at all. It exists since a long time, but now it became a standard for high end devices.

[Wayfarer]

The newest low latency fixes depend on device (high spec helps), Android version (8+), and app support. Android distro support can help too eg. Samsung have made improved audio performance a specific target. Putting all those ingredients together, I get undetectable latency running FL Mobile on my Galaxy S2 tab with an iRig connected via OTG (and wired headphones).

[Gasler]

Install some app to manage your Android phone........

[bungle]

No it isn't fixed, not universally, so no, just use an iPad if you want tablet, the 2018 model is cheaper than any useful Android tablet anyway, yes Apple suck, but so do Google.

[planeth]

No it isn't fixed, not universally, so no, just use an iPad if you want tablet, the 2018 model is cheaper than any useful Android tablet anyway, yes Apple suck, but so do Google.

It is fixed universally. It just is not possible to make all tablet and phone owners to throw all their old devices away and buy new ones. It takes time until the devices got replaced, that's all.

For the records, you get an adequate low latency Nexus 9 tablet for less than $100.

[chk071]

just use an iPad if you want tablet

TBH, also with the MASSIVE amount of audio apps available for iOS, and the very few apps available for Android, i wouldn't even bother with an Android device for audio as well. The market is just not made for audio apps, and, it shows when latency is such a neglection on the platform. Frankly, i wouldn't do much about it either, if i was Google. Just not worth it. Companies won't hop on the wagon anyway, when especially artists use Apple mainly anyway.

[tenshin111]

No it isn't fixed, not universally, so no, just use an iPad if you want tablet, the 2018 model is cheaper than any useful Android tablet anyway, yes Apple suck, but so do Google.

+1

The "entry level" iPad is actually a pretty good deal these days and even though I don't like Apple as a company I am seriously considering getting it just for a portable synth/fx device.

[planeth]

Please read the initial post, guys.
We all already know about iPads and iPhones and the many available apps, but that was not the question.
In a perfect world, you'll anyway use both, as both have their benefits.
But the question was if latency issues have been fixed on Android (not iPad) or not

[bungle]

No it isn't fixed, not universally, so no, just use an iPad if you want tablet, the 2018 model is cheaper than any useful Android tablet anyway, yes Apple suck, but so do Google.

It is fixed universally. It just is not possible to make all tablet and phone owners to throw all their old devices away and buy new ones. It takes time until the devices got replaced, that's all.

For the records, you get an adequate low latency Nexus 9 tablet for less than $100.

So you say it is fixed universally and then explain completely why it is not fixed universally hahaha.

Nexus 9 Amazon = £158, the exchange rate may be bad, but it aint that bad $100 dollars lol, oh and that is used, so no.

As for IOS being off topic, OK fine, heres the definitive answer then.

Question - Can i go to any shop and buy a standard Android phone/tablet and do low latency audio.

Answer 1 - Nope you need to buy specific supported hardware and even then there is very little software that even supports this low latency audio.

Answer 2 - Not if you want to run an audio interface via USB (there is currently a complete clusterf**k as regards Audio/MIDI over USB)

Answer 3 - The latency in Android is not all caused by the audio interface, a lack of understanding that makes many think that low latency audio drivers for the phone/tablets headphone output will equal low latency performance, it will not.

Read this
http://superpowered.com/android-audio-l ... ncy-primer
That is an article by Gabor Szantor, creator of DJPP, the lowest latency app on IOS, and his never ending quest to make superpowered viable on Android, you can speak to him personally on slack in the DJ Technology room.

So yeah, buy an iPad and be absolutely stunned at what it can do, i was and i have three now doing different tasks, my multitude of high end Android tablets either got demoted to watching films in bed or went on ebay, Android is vastly superior for a phone OS and for games funnily enough, absolute garbage for audio work.

And to be fair IOS is not that far behind the desktop for me personally, if i had a couple of my missing VST on IOS i would not be buying another desktop ever again (for audio, it is no where near desktop for video editing/compositing/cgi)