Android Oreo Allows Volume Keys to Work with VOIP Calls When Screen is Off

Smartphones are a connected device that has had the ability to make and receive VoIP calls for years. The selection of 3rd-party applications that offer this used to be rather slim, but recently the feature has been included in applications such as Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Line and more. However, Android didn’t treat these VoIP calls the same way they did traditional phone calls through your carrier, but Android Oreo is cutting back on some of these differences.

The big change here is how volume keys work when the screen is off during a VoIP call. Anytime you are in a call (VoIP or traditional) and the proximity sensor detects an object is close to the screen (e.g. your head), then it temporarily shuts off the screen. When this happened during a traditional phone call and a VoIP phone call, you could adjust the volume of the call itself with the hardware volume keys just like you would expect it to work.

Now, you’ve always had the ability to manually turn off the display and lock the device with the power button when you’re in the middle of a VoIP or traditional phone call. The phone call still works, but the device is no longer monitoring the proximity sensor to see if it detects you have moved the phone away from your head. During a traditional phone call, you should still adjust the volume of that call by using the hardware volume buttons.

The thing is, this didn’t work before Android Oreo with VoIP phone calls. The hardware volume buttons simply would not change the in-call volume if you manually locked the device in the middle of a VoIP call with the power button. With the new Android Oreo update though, this issue has been resolved and you can adjust the volume of a VoIP call with the hardware volume buttons even when the screen is off.

from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2xg9ihe
via IFTTT