OpenSL ES

Note: Developers should consider using the open source Oboe library which is available on GitHub. Oboe is a C++ wrapper that provides an API that closely resembles AAudio. Oboe calls AAudio when AAudio is available, and falls back to OpenSL ES if AAudio is not available.

The NDK package includes an Android-specific implementation of the OpenSL ES™ 1.0.1 API specification from the Khronos Group. This library allows you to use C or C++ to implement high-performance, low-latency audio, whether you are writing a synthesizer, digital audio workstation, karaoke, game, or other real-time app.

The OpenSL ES™ standard exposes audio features similar to those in the MediaPlayer and MediaRecorder APIs in the Android Java framework. OpenSL ES provides a C language interface as well as C++ bindings, allowing you to call the API from code written in either language.

The OpenSL ES APIs are available to help you develop and improve your app's audio performance.

The standard OpenSL ES headers <SLES/OpenSLES.h> and <SLES/OpenSLES_Platform.h> allow audio input and output. Additional Android-specific functionality is in <SLES/OpenSLES_Android.h> and <SLES/OpenSLES_AndroidConfiguration.h>.

This section begins by explaining how to incorporate OpenSL ES into your app. Next, it explains what you need to know about the Android implementation of OpenSL ES, focusing first on the differences between this implementation and the reference specification and then additional extensions for Android compatibility. This section concludes with some supplemental programming notes to ensure proper implementation of OpenSL ES.