Google I/O is less than a few weeks away, but you don’t have to wait that long to enjoy the (definitely) new and (perhaps) exciting Android feature.
For some reason, Google is now rolling out “audio emoticons” in the beta version of the Phone by Google app, which you can sign up for right now. You can also just wait as this feature will most likely be released to the general public quite soon.
There are six sound effects to choose from, including a fart noise, all of which match existing emoticons. You can play audio emoticons directly during a phone call to make an (annoying) impression on whoever you’re talking to.
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If I had to pick an equivalent, it would be those soundboards that old-school presenters used to play during interviews and dead air, with all sorts of weird sound effects like flushing a toilet or a sad trombone.
If you are looking to be that man, well, then you’ll definitely want to take advantage of the new audio emoticons on your Android device. Here’s everything you need to know.
While you’re here, check it out how to get android 15 beta on your phone and how to improve your android reception with these tips and tricks.
What audio emoticons are available on Android?
There are six audio emoticons to choose from:
- Clapping hands (applause)
- Face with tears of joy (laughter)
- Party Popper
- Crying Face (womp womp/sad trombone)
- Pile of poo (fart)
- Drum (sting/ba dum tss)
While most of the audio emoticons are clear, the crying face emoji corresponds to the sad trombone sound made as a joke when someone fails at something, and drum emoticons is the rimshot sound effect created after someone tells the punch line of a joke. All audio emoticon sound effects look very old school, much like Wilhelm’s cry.
How to use audio emoticons during a phone call
You may need to download the beta version of the Phone by Google app. You can register here. Once you become a tester, go to Game store app, tap your profile picture in the top right, go to App and device management > Updates available and update Phone app by Google.
Note: If it doesn’t appear, wait a while for the new update. It took a few minutes for it to show up for me after I joined the beta tester program.
Now, before I show you how to use these audio emojis, please remember that with great power comes great responsibility, so only use audio emojis when necessary, otherwise you risk your friends, colleagues and family members hang you up and never ask me to talk to you on the phone again. Got it?
OK to use audio emoji, call someone on your Android or pick up a phone call and then press the new audio emoticon button which appears just above the phone’s dial buttons (keypad, mute, and speaker). Once you press the audio emoji button, it will expand to show you the six audio emoji options you have.
Tap an audio emoticon button, such as a poo or drum emoji, and the corresponding sound effect will play for a few seconds, along with an equally annoying and low-quality full-screen animation. The sound effect will be heard on both sides, and as someone who has been a victim of audio emoticons before, let me tell you, it’s pretty loud and annoying.
This is the poop emoticon animation.
If you want to disable the feature, go to Phone apptouch three point menu in the upper right corner go to Settings > Audio Emoji and turn it off. Unfortunately, this only disables the feature on your phone. If someone else has audio emoticons enabled on their Android, you’ll still be forced to listen to the sound effects. Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do about it except hang up.
Quite easy to use, but at the same time it should not be used all the time, especially during professional phone calls or more serious conversations. As someone who likes to joke around with my friends, I can see these audio emoticons being overused and quickly becoming more annoying than funny. Imagine letting out a womp womp while your friend cries your breakup?
Okay, maybe that’s funny.
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