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Comment by Kirby64 | Hacker News Reader

The message you’re describing sounds like it (and most devices) telling you nicely it doesn’t support the legacy, now removed from the spec, function to do direct analog audio over USB-C. I.e., the DAC is built into the phone instead of being built into the dongle.

Most devices do not support analog USB-C audio, and frankly I understand why given how affordable DAC based dongles are these days.

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All of my cheaper chinese devices without 3.5mm do support it though. It is only this premium tablet that I paid triple what I'd normally spend on which does not work.

And your point? Samsung is likely more adherent to the USB-C spec than cheap Chinese devices. Audio Accessory Mode (the technical term for the analog audio mode in USB-C) was removed as an optionally supported mode from the specification last year. Adoption among flagship phones was basically nil for years. It's basically the worst of all worlds in terms of complexity: you still need a DAC/ADC in the phone AND you need a muxing switch to switch between data pins and analog audio.

For context on why it was removed: it was replaced with a moisture detection functionality, which can be used to monitor and protect the USB-C port against shorts from moisture ingress into the charging port.

Just buy the $9 Apple adapter and you will have a better setup than those old Chinese cheap tablets.

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