Alex Ruben
How To Resolve No Audio When Connecting a USB Device to Your Google TV Streamer 4K
If you’ve ever plugged in a USB stick or peripheral to your Google TV and suddenly lost audio, you’re not alone. It’s kind of weird, but USB audio routing on Android TV can get goofy sometimes, especially after updates or when switching between different devices. Many have run into this problem with Android TV OS 14 or 15, or on various smart TVs like QLED, OLED, or basic LED models. The good news is, it’s usually fixable without too much headache — just a few little tweaks that might seem counterintuitive at first.
Often, the root cause is something to do with the system not recognizing the USB audio stream properly or needing a hidden developer tweak to get things working again. So, if you’re stuck with silent USB peripherals after connection, this guide walks through some practical steps to get that audio pumping again, not just in a way that works on one setup but across most Android TV devices.
How to Fix No Sound When Using USB Devices on Google TV
Check Your Android TV Version & Enable Developer Options
- First, make sure you’re running a recent Android TV OS version—go to Settings > System > About and look at the Android TV OS version. If it’s pretty old, some fixes might not work as well, but most of the time, this is just to be sure.
- To enable developer options (which are often necessary for fiddling with USB audio routing), head to Settings > System > About > Build and click on Build seven times. A message should pop up saying “You are now a developer”. That’s your cue.
Turn On USB Audio Routing in Developer Options
- Back in Settings > System, scroll down to Developer options. If you don’t see it, double-check that you already enabled it via tap-til-you-make-it.
- Inside, find the Media section, and look for USB audio routing. It might be off — flip it to enabled or on.
- On some setups, this step alone can fix the silent USB issues because it forces the system to route audio through the connected USB device instead of default internal paths.
Verify Sound Settings and Restart
- After hooking this up, drop into Settings > Sound and check if the output device matches your USB device or HDMI connected speakers. Sometimes switching the output manually helps.
- Additionally, try a quick restart of the TV. It sounds dumb, but on some machines this will wake the system up and apply the new routing settings properly. Disconnect the USB, restart, then reconnect.
Extra Tricks and Troubleshooting Tips
- Make sure your TV speakers aren’t muted and the volume is cranked up. Sounds obvious, but I’ve seen people overlook this.
- Check your HDMI connection if your USB device also includes audio via HDMI. Loose or faulty cables can cause no sound even if your system is fine.
- If the device has its own volume controls or requires specific drivers (like some external DACs), double-check those settings or try another USB port—some ports are disabled or have different power profiles.
- On certain setups, using a powered USB hub helps deliver enough power and stabilizes audio flow. Worth a shot if your USB device is wacky.
Summary
- Make sure your Android TV version is current.
- Enable developer options by tapping Build seven times in About.
- Turn on USB audio routing in developer options.
- Adjust sound output and restart if needed.
- Check cables, volume, and device compatibility.
Wrap-up
Getting the USB audio working again on Google TV can be a bit of a puzzle, but once the developer options are unlocked and the routing is enabled, things tend to clear up. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of fiddling with settings and rebooting. Not sure why it works, but on one device, this process fixes the issue immediately, while on another, it takes a couple of tries or a different USB port. Of course, every setup is a little different, so don’t get discouraged if it’s not perfect right away.