Starting from Samsung Galaxy S10, Galaxy devices do not come with an external audio output port. (3.5mm headphone port/AUX port). In galaxy S20 devices, all you have got is just the USB type C port to transfer data/power and the audio (basically everything).
However, you still need an AUX port(3.5mm) to connect your Galaxy S20 smartphone to audio devices. It could be your car audio, a headphone, or your home speaker. And that is why probably you bought an AUX adapter (USB Type C to AUX) as the solution.
But the problem is, you try to connect your Samsung Galaxy S20 (S20+, S20 Ultra, or S20fe) to your Car/Headphone/Speaker or any other music device but the aux adapter is not working. Or it does not produce sound as it is supposed to.
Do not worry! You are not the only one who experience this problem. In this guide, I will tell you why and how to fix if your Samsung Galaxy S20 aux adapter is not working properly. Let’s get started!
Why the Aux adapter (USB type C to AUX) is not working on your Samsung Galaxy S20?
Although the problem seems confusing to troubleshoot, there are 3 components that could possibly cause the AUX adapter that you bought to not work.
- The adapter you bought does not compatible with your Samsung Galaxy S20.
As you may know, there are a lot of different brands and adapters on the market for USB – C to AUX adapters that you can buy.
Although there are a lot of different adapters, only a few work with your Samsung Galaxy S20. It is because some of these adapters are made with poor materials and thus cannot establish a strong connection between the device and the AUX cable.
Note: If the AUX adapter you bought does not work with your car, this means the adapter does not have a built-in DAC. I have included a supported adapter in this guide that will work with your car.
- The Adapter is broken.
If the adapter you have does not work with any device, it could be because the adapter is broken or not working at all. Maybe you did check the adapter before buying (Or maybe you just bought it online) but at this time (poor build quality, broken pins, short circuit, poor packaging, etc) the adapter does not work.
- The USB Type-C port needs to be cleaned.
Unlike charging, to transfer audio the pins of the USB port in your Galaxy S20 should be cleaned and not covered in dust or rust.
- Software glitch/bug.
When I did some research to find more solutions for this problem, I found out that software updates can also cause these kinds of problems.
It may sound confusing but the drivers of the android system should support the AUX adapter to work properly. If there is a system bug or a glitch, you won’t be able to hear audio even if the adapter supports and work correctly.
- Misconfigurations on your Galaxy S20.
Sometimes the adapter won’t work if there is a misconfiguration in the settings in your Galaxy S20. Most of the time, this could be the USB audio routing setting which is located under the developer settings.
- The audio device you are trying to connect does not work/has problems.
Did you try another device with your car audio/Headphone or speaker system that you are trying to connect with your Galaxy S20?
Maybe the device or the audio player can cause the issue and to make sure it is not, you should try to connect your Samsung smartphone to another device.
How to fix the AUX adapter not working problem on your Galaxy S20
Here are the solutions that you can do to fix the AUX adapter connection and play your favorite music without any problem. These solutions are tested and worked for Samsung Galaxy S20 users like you.
Solution 01 – Check the USB Type C port
The first thing you should do is make sure that the USB type C port on your Galaxy S20 is working fine without any problem.
To check the port, you can plug in a USB Type C audio device (Speaker/headphone) to your S20 smartphone. If the audio device works properly, this means the port is not damaged and working fine.
If you hear audio cracking, stuttering or if the audio device does not work at all, then you can try:
- Unplug and replug the device.
- Clean the USB port or
- Take the device to a repair center.
Solution 02 – Enable USB audio routing
Your Galaxy S20 device comes by disabling the USB audio routing feature. You can try enabling the feature before connecting the device to the audio device you want.
If you do not know, audio routing allows streaming your Galaxy S20’s audio to multiple devices. This trick will work best with car audio. So if you want to connect the AUX adapter to your car audio, then you must try this solution.
Note: This method will also work for other devices as well.
Here is how you can enable USB audio routing on your Samsung Galaxy S20.
- Enable Developer options if you haven’t done already.
- Open Settings > Developer options.
- Scroll down and find “Disable USB audio routing”
- Toggle off the option.
Solution 03 – Increase the volume
Are you sure you have turned the volume all the way up before looking for solutions here? If not I suggest you do so.
Unlike your Galaxy S20, sometimes you have to increase the volume a little bit more to hear music when you use an adapter. Give it a try and see if it works.
Solution 04 – Purchase an AUX adapter that has a built-in DAC
If you do not know, built-in DAC means digital-to-analog converter. If the AUX adapter you bought does not have a built-in DAC, then it may not work with the audio device you want to connect.
Now you might be thinking about how to find a good AUX adapter for your Galaxy S20 that also has a DAC. To make your life easier, I found a supported adapter for your S20 smartphone that has a built-in DAC. You can purchase the adapter from Amazon. Here is the link to the product.
Product Name: PEPPER JOBS C2PDA USB-C to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter 2-in-1 USB-C to AUX Adapter with Fast Charging
Note: Make sure to review the product before buying.
Solution 05 – Update Software or Reset your Galaxy S20
As I told you at the beginning, software bugs and glitches are also reasons why the AUX adapter does not work with your Galaxy S20.
You can try updating the device software, and if it does not work you can try to perform a factory data reset on your S20.
Tip: See our Samsung Galaxy S20 software update tracker
However, since resetting your device will lost all personal data consider, before doing it and if you want to try that option too, make sure to take a backup first.
Alternative to AUX adapter – Switch to Bluetooth
Ever tried Bluetooth audio streaming? You won’t need any adapter or cable and all you need is an audio device that supports Bluetooth feature.
It is obvious that most audio devices (speakers, car audio, etc) support Bluetooth. And even if your device does not have Bluetooth feature, you can buy an AUX Bluetooth adapter to connect your Galaxy S20 with the audio device you want.
Conclusion
That is all about the AUX adapter issue on your Galaxy S20 smartphone. If you have any questions related to this guide, leave a comment below. And do not forget to tell us which method worked for you!
Thank you for reading this guide, have a nice day!
