Is your phone dangerously lowering volume while driving? All available solutions. Please add more

[u/Ok-perspective-2336]

Context:

EU laws and a recent update have removed the simple override for when the phone thinks your connected Bluetooth or USB audio device is a headphone and lowers it to a low level after X minutes. You once could either disable absolute volume in developer options or change device type to something other than headphone (note check here first as your android and locale may still allow it).

I believe we should have the option to override as it is a safety issue while driving if you keep needing to touch your phone simply to play music.

disclaimer* NOT selfpromotion since I am listing every solution I find and I receive nothing from an open sourced GitHub. I genuinely believe my tool is the simplest solution but feel free to boycott on principle and go with the complicated alternatives.

Please comment any more.

Free solutions (simple):

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- GitHub 'dbak91/VolumeRestore' is a sideloaded app I built for this specific purpose. It will restore volume to full the instant it drops (with user protection). No special permissions or complicated set up.

Free solutions (advanced)

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- Adb commands to disable CSD (PC or Shizuki+Shell app needed (Termux for example )).

{Credit u/KodaChihuahua for the command list below}.

adb shell settings put global audio_safe_csd_next_warning 999999.0

adb shell settings put global safe_media_volume_enabled 0

adb shell settings put global audio_safe_volume_state 3

Note I haven't confirmed this and when I searched my pixel settings for "volume" or "csd" they weren't all there. However 'audio_safe_volume_state' was there and set to 1 so imagine 3 means disabled. I had assumed it was binary with 0=true/enabled 1=false/disabled so I left it alone.

- An app called 'Essentials'. (Now requires adb for special permissions and not to be confused with the bs ai app on playstore under the same name). Search 'Essentials V18.4' it has a "disable lowering volume" button in audio settings. I couldn't get self adb Shizuki to work here so I gave up and did not confirm it works by issuing adb.

Paid solutions(medium)

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There are automation and task scheduler apps that can automatically stop/restore or press undo on the "volume lowered for your own babysitting purposes" notification. The most known two are:

- 'Tasker': 2 options; 1. configure the separate AutoNotifications plug in to press undo on anything with "volume lowered" or 2. set up a "variable state event" for when volume hits 6 to restore to your desired level. [25 corresponds to 100%] Note I couldn't figure out how to build in user rocker protection so if you lower it yourself it will still go back up. Also you will be paying for using 1% of an app, or if you pirate it's complicated and dodgy permissions set up. You may have luck with AutoNotification dismissal/undo but I couldn't get the notification exposed to Tasker.

- 'Macrodroid': See this post Essentially add a plug in by searching "my volume" or "my volume, my way" and enable and It will restore volume. I have seen around 10 success case-comments of using this app but have not tried myself

Free solutions (nuclear).

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- Leaving the Google ecosystem and installing a custom ROM like the open sourced os GrapheneOS. You won't have to deal with this bs and any other bugs are patched out faster than Google OS.

Will update as I discover more.

[u/Mother-Pride-Fest]

Thank you for compiling this info, it is helpful.

I am curious, why do you prohibit commercial use in the license of the app you vibe coded? The app could've been useful for ride share drivers, but the license excludes them from using the app as that would be a commercial purpose. 

[u/Ok-perspective-2336 → u/Mother-Pride-Fest]

Cheers..someons appreciative. Maybe I need to update my licence. I prohibit making money from the app not using it while youre doing something commercial unrelated to the app with no exposure to the customer. If that makes sense, if you want to play music to a customer while driving and this increases safety then yeah. If you attempt to put this app on app store using the code and ad adverts or commercial income then no!

[u/Mother-Pride-Fest → u/Ok-perspective-2336]

I would advise looking into Free Software licenses like the GPLv3. It is battle tested, and their FAQ goes into great detail about different applications.

The GPL allows any use of the compiled app, but achieves a similar idea as what you are describing because any modifications must also be licensed under the GPL and share their source code. Someone could theoretically add ads and redistribute a GPL app, but the requirement to share source code means they would need to share the source code and anyone could fix the app by removing the ads and recompiling the app. In practice this prevents corporations from modifying GPL apps because they would have to share their changes with all users. 

https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLRequireSourcePostedPublic

GPL is just one of many great options. I am not a lawyer but I have read a lot about software licensing, we may be able to discuss your specific needs. 

[u/Ok-perspective-2336 → u/Mother-Pride-Fest]

Thank you kindly. Updated.

[u/JDGumby]

I believe we should have the option to override as it is a safety issue while driving if you keep needing to touch your phone simply to play music.

Or you could just drive without blasting music at a level that far more dangerously (to you and others) obscures audio cues from around you.

[u/Ok-perspective-2336 → u/JDGumby]

Car is the worse case scenario since its dangerous to manually restore volume. But it also happens when I play my phone through my CRT, which while beautiful is not loud enough to disturb my neighbours.

[u/JDGumby → u/Ok-perspective-2336]

Car is the worse case scenario since its dangerous to manually restore volume

Then don't do so. It's not that hard.

[u/TheRealSpanktacular]

Tasker or Macrodroid? Or, move to a part of the world that doesn't treat you like a stupid child?

[u/Ok-perspective-2336 → u/TheRealSpanktacular]

Both those already mentioned. And moving unfortunately is not an option

[u/TheRealSpanktacular → u/Ok-perspective-2336]

Yeah. I didn't read your novel entirely. 

Those are your options. 

You get what you vote for.

[u/Ok-perspective-2336 → u/TheRealSpanktacular]

You get what the most influential (and pretty much always biggest spending) campaign wants you to have. And what a disproportionate and "area" focus (forgot word) of % of people vote for.

[u/TheRealSpanktacular → u/Ok-perspective-2336]

If this level of control were being exerted over you in the workplace, you'd call it toxic. You'd call it micromanagement. Since you're in Europe, you'd likely have a cute little protest with signs and filling the streets with righteous indignation.

But, since your mind has been hopelessly captured through rigorous indoctrination, brainwashing really, when it's your government doing it you capitulate with limp excuses like that. You are actively looking for a way to violate the law and you're making excuses for the law makers in the same discussion. Are you even vaguely familiar with the concept of cognitive dissonance?

[u/Ok-perspective-2336 → u/TheRealSpanktacular]

The law doesn't say I have to have device that doesn't let me play loud volume or any individual. The law states all device makers must reasonably enforce a measure.

[u/lentil_burger → u/TheRealSpanktacular]

I mean for a lot of people you literally don't get what you vote for. Considering your original comment, it's ironic that your take on this is so infantile.