IssueTracker

Thanks for reporting the issue.
This issue could be related to https://code.google.com/p/google-cloud-sdk/issues/detail?id=538.

By any chance you have google protobuf python package installed?

pip freeze shows:
protobuf==2.6.1

I'll take a deeper look at the link you added, but on initial inspection, it seems to apply only to pre-98.0.0.

I think that it's not the same issue. I've fixed this one internally; I'll let you know when we have an estimate on the Cloud SDK release that it winds up in.

It is not same issue, but same type of issue. Some of the same workarounds could work, for example uninstalling protobuf.

This should be fixed in Cloud SDK 101.0.0, to be released.

Closing this as this issue was fixed[1] in version 101.0.0.

[1]: https://cloud.google.com/sdk/release_notes#10100_20160316

Looks like someone from google took the issue (see post #3), awesome !

Please consider adding a proper pan/balance control, not just simple mono downmix. I hear much less in one ear (~10dB over the majority of the audible spectrum), but am not completely deaf.

Archos and Samsung already have had these basic audio features in their Android ports for some time (not to mention iOS), it would be great if mainline Android had it as well.

Although I do think google needs to come up with a solution, I do understand why this hasn't been taken care of yet. The problem, if I understand correctly, is that the audio driver used by android (ALSA) is built into the android kernel. However, the kernel isn't made by google, it is heavily modified by manufacturer's and carriers as it also contains the drivers for their towers, gps, wifi modules, etc. Because google doesn't have do-all-say-all authority over the kernel, they can't build a toggle into android, because they aren't guaranteed driver support.

ALSA is not a driver. It's a sound server which talks to drivers for interfacing with specific hardware. ALSA is a completely modular sound server which has been in use and active development for well over a decade. Almost all Linux distributions use ALSA for sound (see my earlier comment above). ALSA has the ability to downmix to mono _before_ any manufacturer-specific drivers become involved. It can send audio _from_ any channel _to_ any other channel, including combining multiple channels into one and sending that one channel into both outputs of a stereo headset. The mechanism for doing this is very straightforward. It's all done in software and there's no hardware-based limitations. Essentially, the hardware plays what ALSA tells it to play. ALSA can do whatever it wants to the audio stream before handing it off to the driver.

Android also supports OSS (Open Sound Server) in place of ALSA. OSS also supports downmixing to mono before sending to the driver, in much the same way ALSA does. Some manufacturers still release OSS-based drivers because OSS was closed-source for a while.

I believe there's another sound server that Android supports, although I forget which one it is and whether it supports dynamically routing channels before sending to the driver.

Have you tried routing the stereo channels into one mono channel with the asound.conf file? I tried, but I could not get it to work. Clearly, I am wrong in my understanding about ALAS etc.

I have in Linux (years ago) using the .asoundrc file, which is user-specific. However I've never tried in Android.

+1

I am another "deaf in one ear" person, and this makes using nice headphones / earbuds worthless! The only options I have are scansound / onebuds type things which just short the connection to mono, but I want to be able to use nice earbuds and have it done by the device, not the plug!   :-(
I need mono output of both stereo channels as an option on my DROID TURBO!

I created the original issue years ago which has since been marked obsolete with no fix. So I don't have any faith in this system. Marking your backlog obsolete when you drop a new release seems a bit cowboy! Then again this is all we have and I'll add my voice although several manufactures have solved this issue for Google now, Samsung included, which is how I am able to use android otherwise this issue would have had me back on an iphone.  Seems like everyone except Google takes accessibility  seriously.

Ok, so Samsung has a Mono Audio Widget, which is awesome. Do you guys think it's possible to take that widget and pass it to other phones? (Sony, HTC, Nexus, etc.)

Just throwing ideas out there, cause mono audio is a very important accesibility option and a very convenient widget to have!

Sorry for my bad english

bump

I also can only hear in one ear,there needs to be a mono tone option, this just isn't right.

Ditto for me, please take care of this request.

Exactly what #9 said:)

Please consider adding a proper pan/balance control, not just simple mono downmix. I hear much less in one ear (~10dB over the majority of the audible spectrum), but am not completely deaf.

Archos and Samsung already have had these basic audio features in their Android ports for some time (not to mention iOS), it would be great if mainline Android had it as well.

What are you people complaining about?  Mono Audio setting is available under Settings|Device|Accessibility.  You can also set it so a triple-tap on the home key brings up the accessibility settings, directly.

The real issue is with 4.4.4, vs 4.4.2, losing easy access to the mono setting: The Mono Audio widget is gone (I would suggest 1x1 widget instead of the previous 2x1.  I have auditory problems, not visual or dexterity).  And the Accessibility Shortcut feature, which puts a link to Accessibility Settings on the power-key Device Options menu doesn't work.

Mono is not only an issue for the hearing impaired, like me, but it is also used for other reasons. Like in the office where you need to hear coworkers while you listen in one ear.  And for safety reasons - you gotta hear that forklift coming.

Mono is there, but easy access has been taken away

#21, the options you're talking about (including triple tapping home) are almost certainly third party additions. Samsung for example adds it as part of their customizations. My Nexus 10 running stock 5.0 does not have options for mono audio.

I forgot to add, for you folks who want a balance feature; The Adapt Sound feature runs a hearing test and adjusts the audio to match your hearing abilities. I am not positive it will meet your needs, because I have problems with both ears and it amplified both channels for me.

Android Developers:  Thank you for all the new features in 4.4.4.  S2man

I apologize.  I guess I have Samsung to thank for mono audio, and probably for Adapt Sound, also.

Android, I agree, mono audio should be included for the hearing impaired.

Agreed! Google.. We need mono!

My Fire phone has a mono option in accessibility options, but with this enabled the sound comes out of both channels regardless of balance settings in music apps such as PowerAmp. I want to use bluetooth headphones with hearing protection at work, with mono sound coming from just one channel (bluetooth because wires get in the way/rip out of jack, hearing protection because... what did you say?, and one channel so I can hear when the boss calls me without him getting angry for having to scream). On my old iPhone, on which bluetooth no longer works or I'd just use it for music, all I needed to do was go to accessibility settings, switch to mono, and slide the balance all the way to L or R. An app that is capable of this would be nice, but system-wide capability would go a long way toward customer loyalty. For now, my workaround is to use Audacity to create mono files, and listen in "stereo" mode on PowerAmp, with the balance slid to one side only. It's better than nothing, but useless for Pandora, etc. Please add these features to core OS.

Please do not make the deaf to this feature ... Mono audio for android is really needed for many people!

An update, I have found a way to solve this issue at least on the HTC One m8, and I suspect the m9 as well. It is possible to edit the audio_policy.conf file found in /system/etc and change every AUDIO_CHANNEL_OUT_STEREO entry to AUDIO_CHANNEL_OUT_MONO, making sure to remove duplicates. This properly mixes mono audio as long as boomsound is turned on. As for mixing without boomsound, I don't know.

That last comment proves my point. It's LITERALLY that easy to implement this super simple feature, yet google refuses to do it.

I happen to have an HTC One M8,so thank you for that workaround.

It's certainly an important added convenience for many.  However, the incidence of single-sided hearing loss is on the rise across many industrialized nations. I am one of a group of people who is working get cochlear implantation standardized as a treatment option for the many teens and adults suffering from this condition in the USA. As a musician and single-sided deaf person myself, mono sound is essential in a headphone feed for this population.  Android should implement this important accessibility option.  The competition has had this feature for many years now.

Sign this petition to help. Thanks
https://www.change.org/p/google-inc-android-add-mono-audio-to-android?just_created=true

Please create a way to know if mono option enabled/disabled programmatically.
I see MONO option in accessibility menu on many samsung phones (Galaxy S3, S5), but there is no way to know if it's enabled/disabled.

Samsung phones have a widget that is just a mono button, it's easy to tell if it's on or not. At least they did when I had the S3.

My son was born with unilateral hearing loss. I can only assume that google is hostile to those with hearing disabilities.

Guess what? +1 Me too!

I won't be purchasing another android device until this is added.

The mono option is available on iOS devices for years, what the hell the priority is not set to high ???
As far I know, only Samsung made this possible to their devices, but I don't like Samsung's devices.

I am shocked this isnt in place already. I have 90% hearing loss in one ear and the iPhone can adjust to give me stereo again through the balance controls. There isnt even an app on the Play store that can do this for music apps. Crazy

[Comment deleted]

Those of you who said this feature is already in Android, I believe (it must be) that it was in android kitkat versions, but it has disappeared in lollipop versions, or at least in 5.0.

It is definitely very useful to have this feature weather one has hearing impairment or not. I have recently lost my hearing in one ear totally and it would be so helpful for me to have this feature, and I am sure it is for others like me. Its a shame that I can't find it on my device carrying 5.0, it shows how ignorant the development of android was in this version, it is more important that the technology in a device helps and makes life easier not just have a good looking material design, that seems to have been forgotten on the accessibility section of 5.0. At least they still have large texts and zooms and talk backs to assist vision. I am hoping it will come back on android M.

@simachew this feature has NEVER been in Android. It's been implemented by some Android handset manufacturers (for example, Samsung) on top of stock Android, but it's never been in Android proper. And it doesn't look like it will ever be, either.  

I also need this feature. It is sad that after so many years, this multibillion corporation had no time nor intetest in addressing this issue.

I also need this feature

Since this issue reported from 2014, there's still no developer who seek for this.. so sad though

Bump. Seriously dudes. Foundational feature.

If Google ever needed a good reason to implement mono audio output, it just got one. California just made it illegal to drive with both earbuds inserted. Only a single earbud inserted is permissible while driving a motor vehicle or riding a bicycle. For reasons of safety, one ear must be left open to hear the external environment.

As someone with hearing in one ear only, I would advise against any earbuds while riding a bicycle!

Sorry to say it, but I've gone over to iOS until Google can address this issue. As a single-sided deaf musician, I weighed my ability to enjoy stereo-mixed sound in mono on a standard headset -- something that is EXTREMELY important to me -- against the headaches of iOS, including substituting the walled-garden of iMessage for SMS, no widgets, losing all of the configurability. I considered a non-Nexus phone, but having to choose between delayed security patches and jailbreaking turns me off. In the end, I jumped ship; there are no good choices for me in the Android ecosystem at this time. When Android finally addresses this issue, maybe I'll come back (assuming I can, given iMessage's odd practice of crippling text messaging for iPhone deserters). It's so stupid that I have to do this, considering how technically basic the accommodation is ...

There are over 38 million people in California, all subject to this single-earbud restriction. Google headquarters is in Mountain View, California. The solution that gives the most choices to the most users is to implement an option for Mono Audio Output to the two channels available from the audio jack. It would also be helpful to implement Left-Right Channel Balance for reasons already cited, and to help users compensate for uneven hearing loss/ability that inevitably comes with age. On a personal note, while my hearing is excellent, I strongly prefer to listen to music in mono when using earbuds. I most enjoy hearing the same music on both sides, not arbitrarily divided into partial stereo components, which I find distracting, uneven, and often unpleasant.

I would love this. I listen to music in one ear a lot, through my bluetooth headset, which has two earbuds. All non-stock Android phones that I have seen have this, I don't see how this hasn't made it in yet.

Yet another use case: sharing (stereo) headphones with another person, especially audio books. A mono switch would really help here!

We have created a subreddit at https://www.reddit.com/r/MonoHearing/

for those of us with one deaf ear to help pass on tips and info on stuff like this

feel free to pop in with any info you have

I had sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) and now I am entirely deaf in one ear. I've been a devoted Android user for quite some time, but the fact that mono sound is not supported is incredibly upsetting. Every time I listen to music I can only hear parts of the songs, please implement mono sound.

Good news! Android N Developer Preview implements a new accessibility option: mono sound. I don't think it will be left out in the final version: it's a really requested feature and, if they remove it, it will not make sense that they added it before the final version. You can read more about it at http://www.xda-developers.com/xda-external-link/android-n-now-offers-the-ability-to-playback-audio-in-mono-mode/

Yes, we are introducing the mono feature in N. Thank you for all patience and I apologize for the delay. For those of you with access to the N preview (http://developer.android.com/preview/download.html), please let us know if you have any issues with the feature.

Thank you again.

That's a great news!
Are you going to provide any API to know if "MONO" is enabled/disabled? Some apps use audio socket to communicate to external devices, and it's critical to know if it's stereo/mono actually going out of audio socket.

Oh great!!! I 'll finally be able to enjoy all music on my phone !

Now I'll be completly satisfied with my Nexus 5X !

Android N is only going to have mono sound - or actual pan/balance controls as well (as Samsung-Android/Apple-iOS already have)?

I'm suffering from partial hearing loss in one ear, so I'd only need about 6-8dB louder in my left ear.

With respect to the question in #56 whether you can determine if the user has set the device in mono mode:

Master mono is an integer system setting. The name of the setting is hidden in the API  (we expect typical use through the Settings app) though the string can be used directly.

final boolean masterMono = Settings.System.getInt(getContext().getContentResolver(), "master_mono", 0) != 0;

Re #58 - only mono sound at this point.

[Comment deleted]

I don't want to seem ungrateful, but could Android devs please provide us with a fix for this feature in Android Marshmallow, so we don't have a wait another year? A year is a long time in the life of an Android smartphone, perhaps 25 percent of its lifespan as a useful device. If you want to keep things simple, a fix that permanently sets all audio output to mono would be fine with me, at least, until Android N rolls out.

6.0 is in maintenance mode. It's pretty much just security updates from here on out (unless there ends up being a 6.1 update, which would likely already be almost complete). Features aren't going to be backported by Google (although OEMs are more than welcome to, and many had already included mono audio).

What device do you have that it will take a year to get Android N? Nexus devices are scheduled for release in Q3, and non-Nexus devices mostly don't bother with 0.0.x updates (except for the companies that will probably get Android N out shortly after release anyway).

[Comment deleted]

Motorola Moto G 3rd Gen. This excellent phone will be parked until November 2016, as it has been since I purchased it last October 2015, at which time I discovered that stock Android doesn't provide mono audio. As a matter of policy, Motorola refuses to implement this mod, despite my urging, so I am using an older model LG because LG does provide the mono switch as an accessibility setting. (Kudos to LG)

[Comment deleted]

After this 2 years finally!! Phew.. It's such a reaalllyy long delay. But i'm grateful to hear it

Can we please get the mono option on Nexus 6P?

Considering the implementation of the mono sound option I really hope we can get an audio balance option implemented soon after. Currently the only reason why I can't just run stock Android.

[Comment deleted]

I really don't understand why you guys would take out mono sound after KitKat...It was there, it worked and was absolutely necessary for people with hearing impairment in one of their ears. Really dumb move. Hope you guys fix this ASAP.

My ears work fine, I need this option for a portable soundsystem. Pretty infuriated by the fact that this just doesn't seem to be possible to do. For enjoyers of music everywhere, please.

I have no idea why Google would have taken an ACCESSIBILITY feature out and not replaced it.   Maybe some idiot 22 year old over at Google thought that the term "Mono" was non-inclusive of LGBTQFOFF and a instrument of the global patriarchal conspiracy.  Or maybe they just hate people with hearing loss.  Dunno.  FWIW, I won't buy another Android product until this is replaced.

Hi all, looks like this bug was never closed but Android Nougat did include a Mono option for Android devices (and future versions continue to include it).

If you are on a Nougat (Android 7.0) or higher Android device, but don't see the option in Settings please contact your device manufacturer because Google has added the functionality back to Android ~2 years ago.

Here's an article about it: https://www.androidpolice.com/2016/03/15/android-n-feature-spotlight-sounds-settings-has-a-new-mono-playback-toggle/

Agreed - This is fixed. I directly benefited from the mono option added to Nougat. I had moved to iOS due to this single issue -- with great reservations as I find iOS infuriatingly frustrating. I am now back on Android.

On a side note, I've used both platforms a couple times each over the last 4 years. While Apple was first out of the gate with a mono option, it took them a full year to completely clean my iMessage server registrations so that I can reliably get texts from iPhone users. What an alarming company that is.

The mono option works great on my Pixel!