Are you in a situation where your PC speakers aren’t working but you need to listen to important audio? Change your smartphone into speakers for your PC instantly and have uninterrupted audio. This hack is very handy whenever you are in dire need of a speaker output but don’t have a working device with your PC.
In this article, we shall discuss the different ways in which you can readily turn an android smartphone into a speaker for your PC.
How to turn your phone into a speaker for PC?
You can turn your phone into a speaker for PC with the help of third-party android apps called SoundWire and AudioRelay. You can use either of them and start getting an audio output from your PC in your android smartphone. You will also need a USB cable if your PC doesn’t have a Wi-Fi motherboard.
Let us now discuss the procedure to connect the phone and PC to stream the audio from the latter to the former.
Connecting the Smartphone to the PC
There are two ways you can use to connect both devices. If you have a Wi-Fi-enabled motherboard in your PC then you can connect them over the same Wi-Fi network.
If you don’t have Wi-Fi, then with the help of a USB cable you can use tethering to connect the PC to the same network as the android phone. Here are the steps you need to follow for connecting the devices:
Using USB Tethering
- Turn off Wi-Fi in your android phone and connect it through mobile data
- Now connect your android phone to the PC with the help of the appropriate USB Cable
- As soon as you connect the phone to PC, your phone will start charging by default
- Unlock your phone and in the notifications panel, you can see a prompt “Charging via USB, Tap for more options”
- If you click on it, you will be provided with other USB connection options
- In the list of options, choose USB tethering
- If your PC is already connected to another network, turn it off
- After enabling USB tethering, your PC will start using your smartphone network. Thus, they both are connected to the same network
Now let us understand how to use the apps to stream the audio from PC to smartphone.
Using SoundWire
- Download SoundWire App from the Google Play store on your Android. Similarly, download the desktop Windows version on your PC
- Install the applications on both the PC and smartphone
- Go to the command prompt on your PC and enter the “ipconfig” command. It will display your IP address under the IPv4 option under the Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection
- Note down the IP address. Open the app on your phone and enter this IP address into it.
- Now tap the SoundWire logo (the spiral coil). If the connection is established, the logo will glow
- Go to the PC software and in the Input Select, choose it as Default Multimedia Device.
- Now you will be able to play any audio file on your PC and it will be heard through the phone speakers
Using AudioRelay
This application is also very similar to SoundWire app. Download the AudioRelay app and software on your phone and PC respectively.
Now open the app on the phone and search for the PC it is connected to. If both devices are connected to the same network it will automatically detect the PC and you can start hearing the audio.
You can also manually enter the IP address of your PC and start streaming audio to your smartphone. With this app, you can also alter the bitrate of the audio so that you can have higher quality.
This is how you can connect a PC to your android smartphone and get audio output. You can do this setup even with laptops. Just make sure to connect the devices to the same network.
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Benefits of using your phone as a PC speaker
There are numerous benefits to using a phone as a speaker for your PC. Here are some of the major ones:
- First of all, you can avoid buying a new set of speakers for your PC. Or if you already have one but they aren’t working properly, you can use the phone as a speaker till you service the PC speakers. So, the phone speaker is an excellent temporary solution.
- If you have an old android smartphone device lying around without any real usage, then you can utilize it as a speaker for your PC.
- You can adjust the audio quality and get the appropriate bitrate as per your requirement.
- This hack helps you out instantly when you don’t have proper speakers
Due to such advantages, you can depend on your smartphone for audio output from your PC and enjoy seamless listening.
Drawbacks of using your Phone as a PC speaker
There are quite a few drawbacks to using a phone as a PC speaker. Here are some you may consider before trying it out:
- You may not get the best audio output. The third-party apps can charge you for getting the best streaming quality.
- The phone may heat up since it will be continuously streaming audio which may affect the life of the phone.
- If you don’t have Wi-Fi provision, then you will need a USB cable to make the connection between the devices.
- The phone speakers may not be loud enough to cover a large area. So, it cannot be used for public use.
- If you have connected the phone and device through Wi-Fi, then you might have to charge the phone or keep the phone charged.
These are the drawbacks of using a smartphone as a speaker for a PC. But in general, you can use this hack as a temporary solution while there is some emergency.
Conclusion
When your computer speaker deceives you during an urgent meeting or conference, you can connect your phone to the PC and start using it as a speaker. This can get you through your emergency. Until you get your speakers ready for the PC, this will help you out effectively.
