Awareness!® Android HD and Android Phone – FAQ

•• FOR LATEST VERSION & UPDATE INFO, PLUS CURRENT APP ISSUES (IF ANY?) SEE THE MAIN SUPPORT PAGE – HERE ••

TABLETS: Awareness!® HD Android for Nexus 7 is an app that allows headphone & headset users to hear what’s going on around them, whilst listening to music (or any other audio) on their Google Nexus7 tablet.

PHONES: Awareness!® Android Phone for Samsung Galaxy S3 does the same thing with a greater emphasis on mobile use and safety.

Awareness!® Android Apps for ETYMOTIC are customised versions, tuned for the specific sensitivity and performance of Etymotic’s superb high-isolation headphones and headsets. IMPORTANT NOTE: These apps are FREE for Etymotic customers.
Usage requires registration at  www.etymotic.com/awareness

Awareness! Android HD uses the Nexus7′s built in microphone to analyze your surroundings and delivers any important sounds straight to your headphones/headset, over your music, audio book, game or movie. (Awareness! cannot work if your tablet is in a bag or pocket)

Awareness! Android Phone uses your phone headset’s built in microphone to achieve even better results when you are out and about, commuting, running, jogging or wherever you listen to music

You can set a personal mic threshold level so that the mic is only switched on when a sound is louder than your background noise.

Awareness! lets you hear when the person next to you talks, or at home if you are lost in music? you’ll still hear the doorbell ring. At the airport you’ll hear the ‘Last Call’ over your movie. If you are out walking running or cycling, you can hear when a car or truck sounds its horn.

If you have ANY issues using Awareness!®, please contact us on Awareness! Support

Note: We never advise the use of headphones or earphones anywhere where danger may be present. Awareness! does not replace common sense!

Awareness!® Android Features:

AutoSet – phone and tablet
AutoSet listens to the sounds around you and automatically sets a microphone switching level to make sure you hear anything above normal background noise. AutoSet comes on each time Awareness! is started TABLET / When selected in setting PHONE.  You can manually activate by touching the AutoSet button on the main screen  TABLET / or AutoSet logo on the meter display PHONE

Ducking – tablet only
Lowers the music when the mic is triggered and turns it back up when outside noise drops to normal levels. NOTE only works on Google Music Player. On other apps it will bring in mic signal over the audio track.

Active Interrupt – phone only
Mutes your music when the microphone is triggered and turns it back up, when outside noise drops to normal levels. We STRONGLY recommend that this is used in noisy environments. ON is the default setting.

Help – tablet only
Gives you access to our website, the FAQ, Essency Support, an Etymotic video and more

Settings – phone only
Brings up controls for Mic Delay, Active Interrupt and AutoSet, plus App version number, URLs & FAQs about Awareness!® and video showing how to properly insert your Etymotic earphones.

Microphone
Switches the microphone on and off. Useful when you just want to have a quick listen to what’s going on around you.

Microphone Delay Slider
Microphone Delay allows you to add a small delay before the microphone signal is triggered, this can help to prevent sounds like the wind or fabric rub from inadvertently triggering the microphone.

Microphone Delay Display
A small numerical display at the bottom right of the meter, shows the amount of delay you set.
ALSO featured above the Microphone Delay Slider in Phone Settings

Microphone Level Adjust Slider
Allows you to set the microphone signal to a comfortable level. If you have to have this set too high, your music may be too loud. Take care of your ears!

System Requirements TABLET
Nexus 7 tablet running Android OS Jelly Bean 4.1+
Registered Etymotic Account to use the free Etymotic version.
May work on other 7 inch tablets running Jelly Bean
Nexus 7 mic MUST be available
Awareness!® cannot work if your tablet is in a bag or pocket.
Bluetooth not supported at this time.

System Requirements  PHONE
Samsung S3 Phone, Android OS Jelly Bean 4.1+
Registered Etymotic Account to use the free Etymotic version.
May work on other phones running Jelly Bean.
Will be available for Samsung S2 when the Jelly Bean update arrives.
Bluetooth not supported at this time.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Don’t go running with your Nexus 7 in a pocket or bag
The Nexus 7 does NOT have a microphone input on the headphone socket, so the headset mic cannot be used. The only microphone is the one on the Nexus 7 tablet. This works perfectly in normal tablet usage situations where the tablet is in front of you, such as reading, gaming and watching movies. Logically Awareness!® cannot function if the the tablet is in a bag or a pocket and the microphone is covered!

How do I set Awareness!® App?
Awareness! automatically sets itself up on start up with AutoSet. You can further tweak the settings by sliding your finger over the blue scale to fine tune the microphone trigger level. The microphone level in your headphones or earphones can be adjusted by moving the slider located to the right the screen. You can use Autoset at anytime by tapping ‘AutoSet’.

Note: AutoSet measures the average noise of your surroundings and sets a microphone threshold just above the noise level, this works well in most situations however in more dynamic environments where background noise is continually changing, such as in a noisy restaurant or train station we recommend you fine tune the mic threshold. This is easy and fast, simply slide your finger across the curved scale on the Awareness meter until you only hear the sounds you want,

I can’t get Awareness!® App to work?
Android OS 4.1 Jelly Bean is mandatory. The TABLET version of Awareness!® The Headphone App only works on the Google Nexus7. The PHONE version is for the Samsung Galaxy S3. We are working hard to bring Awareness to further devices as they are upgraded to Jelly Bean.

Why doesn’t Awareness!® App work with my Bluetooth headset?
Current Bluetooth technology causes a noticeable delay in real time applications (latency). There is also limited bandwidth and audio quality can degrade. We are working on a Bluetooth version of Awareness!® but are waiting for improvements in the Android System and Bluetooth technology.

I’ve installed Awareness!® App but can’t hear anything in my headphones?
Check to make sure you haven’t set the microphone trigger level too high or the mic volume too low. Make sure that the Nexus 7′s microphone TABLET / Etymotic Headset mic is not obstructed or covered PHONE. Make sure your headphone plug is fully inserted

I have to turn the mic level to maximum in my headphones to hear anything?
This normally means that your music is turned up too loud (Look after your ears!) You can try Ducking’ which will lower your music when the microphone is triggered and raise it back up when ambient noise levels drop TABLET / Active Interrupt, which will mute your music in a similar fashion PHONE

I am in a noisy bar and the microphone keeps triggering
Awareness!® works brilliantly in most situations, however if you are in an environment where the noise levels are particularly high, the microphone may be inadvertently triggered.

In situations like this, it’s best to turn the microphone on continuously (by tapping the mic icon) and turning the mic volume down to an acceptable level while still being able to hear environmental noise, this allows you to hear any important sounds or changes in your surroundings while using headphones. It may also be advisable to use the Ducking or Active Interrupt features.

The microphone keeps triggering even though the meter needle does not hit the blue/red bar
The meter cannot react as fast as the actual sound and internal electronics, so mic triggering is the most accurate indicator.

I get a howling sound when I turn Awareness!® App on
This will only ever happen if you place your earphones next to the Nexus 7 microphone / Etymotic headset mic
You may have the mic volume turned up too loud or the microphone is too near your headphones causing feedback. When headphones are unplugged the Nexus 7 / S3 mics are disabled to remove the possibility of feedback

Why can’t I run Awareness!® App on Android Ice Cream Sandwich and Gingerbread
No Jelly Bean, unfortunately no Awareness!® We have tried very hard to implement Awareness on older Android OS versions, but no earlier OS, has either the performance or the software hooks to enable us to build Awareness!®, which is why OS Jelly Bean is mandatory. Time to treat yourself to a new device or software upgrade.

TABLET: Awareness!® App is not using the mic in my headset
The Google Nexus 7 does NOT have a microphone input on the headphone socket. Awareness! uses the mic that is built-in to the Nexus tablet. This works perfectly in all situations where the tablet is in front of you, such as reading, gaming and watching movies. Awareness! cannot function if the the tablet is in a bag or a pocket and the microphone is covered.

If you experience any difficulties or any other issues, contact us on Awareness! Support.