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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Auracast support rolls out to more smartphones and headphones.
- You can share your phone’s audio with one or many friends.
- Your phone and headphones must support Auracast to access the feature.
If you’ve been waiting for technology to evolve so you can easily share audio from one device to two headphones with fewer device ecosystem barriers, the day has come. Google’s new update to Android expands Bluetooth LE Audio to more smartphones and headphones, allowing audio sharing between more consumer audio brands and smartphone models.
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How does LE Audio Auracast work?
Bluetooth LE Audio is the Bluetooth protocol that supports Bluetooth Auracast, which is the audio-sharing technology. If your headphones and smartphone support Auracast, you can share audio with friends.
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Auracast allows one device to broadcast audio to an infinite number of Auracast-supported audio receivers, so you can privately share your phone’s audio with one friend or with a group of friends. Whatever audio plays on your phone — music, movies, podcasts, TikTok, or YouTube videos — will broadcast into your friends’ headphones.
Once you begin an audio broadcast on your phone, your friends can join by scanning your phone’s broadcast QR code or via Google Fast Pair.
Which smartphones support LE Audio Auracast?
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Bluetooth Auracast is limited to select smartphones, including the Google Pixel 8 and newer, and the Samsung Galaxy S23, S24, and S25. The Galaxy Z Fold 5, Z Fold 6, and Z Fold 7 also support the feature. Select Xiaomi and Poco phones also support LE Audio Auracast, although these phones are not directly supported by US carriers.
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More smartphones supporting LE Audio Auracast mean there are more ways for people to use Auracast besides private audio sharing. Earlier this year, Google announced Bluetooth Auracast support for compatible smartphones and hearing aids. This update expanded support to allow users to connect compatible audio devices to privately listen to public broadcasts and connect to those broadcasts with their Google Pixel 9 via QR code.
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Now, more devices can access and privately listen to public broadcasts at participating gyms, theaters, airports, museums, and auditoriums via QR code. Device support continues to expand, but widespread venue adoption is slower.
Which headphones and earbuds support LE Audio Auracast?
Jada Jones/ZDNET
The list of headphones and earbuds includes the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, JBL Tour One M3, Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless, and more. Additionally, Google’s announcement said Android’s LE Audio capabilities are available on Sony headphones. For now, the WF-1000XM5 earbuds are the only device documented on Bluetooth’s Auracast device list.
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For Bluetooth LE Auracast to work, your smartphone broadcasting the audio and the headphones receiving the audio must be compatible with the technology.
