One of our favourite iPhone audio features could be coming to more Android phones

Oppo Color OS
(Image credit: Oppo)

Color OS could soon allow you to place multiple sound sources within 3D spatial audio – and this includes other operating systems that use Color OS as a base. 

This feature, potentially called Holo Audio, was spotted within Oxygen OS. Holo Audio would allow users to place multiple audio sources simultaneously in spatial audio, adjusting their positioning with the 3D listening space.

It’s worth noting that Oxygen OS uses Color OS as its base, meaning Holo Audio could soon make its way to Oppo, Realme, and OnePlus smartphones. Oppo uses Color OS to power its smartphones, while Realme and OnePlus smartphones have operating systems that use Color OS as their base, such as Oxygen OS.

A reliable tipster and code specialist spotted strings related to the new feature. An APK teardown (APK being an Android file format) is useful for predicting features that may be delivered in a future release, based on in-progress code. However, it’s worth noting that potential future features found in teardowns don’t always make it to release. 

The strings also mention that Holo Audio does not support game audio; however, there are strings that suggest you could be able to choose apps for audiobooks, VolP calls, music, navigation, and video playback. 

Holo Audio also looks likely to only apply to audio playing through headphones, not the phone’s speaker. 

We found that in practice, spatial audio is immersive and effective, although we noted that it performed better for general entertainment, such as films and gaming, than it did for music. 

We’ve reached out to Oppo for comment so we will add more information as and when it arrives.

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Staff Writer

Ainsley Walker is a staff writer at What Hi-Fi?. He studied music journalism at university before working in a variety of roles including as a freelance journalist and teacher. Growing up in a family of hi-fi enthusiasts naturally influenced his interest in the topic. Outside of work, Ainsley can be found producing music, tinkering with retro tech, or cheering on Luton Town.