I’m not sure why, but on all my Bluetooth headphones, I have to choose between controlling the volume or switching tracks as the active action.
I’m not sure why, but on all my Bluetooth headphones, I have to choose between controlling the volume or switching tracks as the active action. Because of this, I end up listening to even bad tracks all the way through since I don’t feel like pulling my phone out of my pocket.
An app called SoundTap can help solve this problem. Its sole feature is switching tracks by pressing the volume buttons on your device. You don’t even need to take your phone out of your pocket for it.
And SoundTap really does handle this task without any issues. However, it doesn’t seem like an option you’d want to stick with long-term. Here’s why.
Upon the first launch, the app will ask for a bunch of different permissions. Some of them make sense and are genuinely needed for the app to work. But the rest don’t seem as important.
For example, it asks to disable battery saving and access push notifications. Yes, these permissions are needed for some features of SoundTap, but I don’t plan on using them. And there’s no option to skip these steps or deny the permissions during the initial setup.
The second issue lies within the app’s settings. The main screen felt too cluttered for me. All the options are hidden behind large buttons that don’t even fit on the screen properly.
To make SoundTap work, you need to press a big red button in the lower right corner. Then you can go to the Customization section.
Here, you can choose how the app operates: the duration of volume button presses for switching tracks, auto-play, haptic feedback, and more.
In the Settings section, you can select your preferred music player or exclude certain players from working with the app.
I don’t understand why the settings are divided between two separate buttons. But, as I mentioned at the start, SoundTap does work and switches tracks according to the specified settings. So if the issues I’ve pointed out don’t bother you, the app is definitely usable.