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I would like to have exactly the opposite of this question, or this.

Some audio documentaries on youtube that I want to listen to with an old-style (wired, non-bluetooth) headset have only one channel audio. That is, I hear audio in just one ear.

Is there a way to hear the sound in both headphones while playing that? (That would improve the experience, the voices are not always clear, etc.) — I mean, maybe there is an app that has a setting for that.

NOTA BENE:

I am referring to wire headphones here, not bluetooth. The device is Xiaomi A2 phone running Android 10.

EDIT after comments:

Opening the audio file in Audacity, I see this:

enter image description here

Although Mediainfo says 2 channels:

enter image description here

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    I haven't researched further about that specific YouTube video (will do when there's time), but there's a possibility that the problem is on the audio source (recorded out-of-phase), because AFAIK, true mono audio shouldn't be a problem when played on stereo speaker (it will play the same waveform on both left & right channel)
    – Andrew T. ♦
    Aug 27, 2020 at 9:39
  • @AndrewT. - Taking the ogg audio from youtube on my computer and using Audacity, I have exported it as a mono mp3 which indeed is heard fine in both headphones. On the other hand (as seen at the link you posted) that other out-of-phase stereo file was not played at all on a speaker but was played fine on (I guess both) headphones. Mine is played by the single external bluetooth speaker, as well as by one of the two headphones. There might be a difference here.
    – cipricus
    Aug 27, 2020 at 10:21
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    Err... looking from your screenshot, I'm afraid the audio source is actually stereo, but the audio is only recorded on 1 channel, which makes a big difference than a true mono audio :( but I'll check myself later. Meanwhile, you might be interested in music player apps that can select only 1 channel to be played on both channel (not sure for the keyword though)
    – Andrew T. ♦
    Aug 27, 2020 at 11:01
  • Going by @AndrewT 's suggestion, you can try this app. Description seems to fit your need. I have not tested it, though
    – beeshyams
    Aug 27, 2020 at 15:29
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    @cipricus no problem, this can act as a good duplicate post since this case is unique compared to existing questions (sharing earphones and one-channel headphone) :)
    – Andrew T. ♦
    Aug 27, 2020 at 16:50

1 Answer 1

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Two of the comments made by @AndrewT have suggested to me the good solution:

true mono audio shouldn't be a problem when played on stereo speaker (it will play the same waveform on both left & right channel)

and

the audio source is actually stereo, but the audio is only recorded on 1 channel

As the youtube audio in question is not a mono but a stereo with just one channel (Audacity was right, Mediainfo was wrong), a solution is exactly the one that initially seemed to me the opposite of what I wanted: rendering the file as mono — and thus, playing it through both headphones.

This solution works on Android 10, the setting is under Accessibility, Audio& on-screen text.

enter image description here

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