I wish every Android phone had Samsung’s Separate App Sound feature. Here’s how it works

Source: Android Authority

Did you know about Samsung’s Separate App Sound feature?

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How to use Separate App Sound on your Samsung phone

Separate App Sound does exactly what the name implies — it lets you play audio from specific apps through different audio sources. For example, you can have YouTube Music play through a Bluetooth speaker while notification alerts and other sounds still play through your phone’s speaker.

Setup steps

1. Open the Settings app on your Samsung phone.
2. Tap Sounds and vibration.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page.
4. Tap Separate app sound.
5. Toggle Turn on now.
6. Tap Select on the pop‑up.
7. Choose the apps you want.
8. Choose whether to play the audio from those apps on your phone or a connected Bluetooth device.

After enabling the feature, you may see a notification about changing your main audio output. For instance, selecting YouTube and YouTube Music to play through Pixel Buds 2a will prompt a confirmation. Tapping OK switches the phone’s speakers to the main audio output while the Pixel Buds 2a are limited to the selected apps.

Separate App Sound first debuted with the Galaxy S8 series in 2017, so while it’s far from new, it’s rarely discussed. I only learned about it from a recent Reddit post on r/SamsungGalaxy.

Why should you use or care about Separate App Sound?

There are several scenarios where Separate App Sound can be handy:

• Music + Bluetooth speaker: When friends are over and you’re playing music on a Bluetooth speaker, you probably don’t want phone calls or notifications interrupting the music. With Separate App Sound, only the music app’s audio is routed to the speaker, while everything else stays on the phone’s speaker.
• Car Bluetooth: If a passenger’s phone is connected to the car’s Bluetooth for music, opening a Snapchat message or scrolling Instagram can interrupt playback. Separate App Sound can keep the music on the car speakers and route other app audio elsewhere.
• Headset calls: While you’re on a Google Meet or Teams call through earbuds, you can route all other audio (notifications, media from other apps) to the phone’s speaker.

These examples show how Separate App Sound can rescue you from unwanted audio interruptions. It’s a shame that no other Android brand besides Samsung has implemented this feature, but for Samsung users, it’s a powerful tool worth exploring.