Your Android phone just got a big Bluetooth upgrade for free - what's new

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Auracast enactment rolls retired to much smartphones and headphones.
• You tin stock your phone's audio with 1 oregon galore friends.
• Your telephone and headphones indispensable enactment Auracast to entree the feature.

If you've been waiting for exertion to germinate truthful you tin easy stock audio from 1 instrumentality to 2 headphones with less instrumentality ecosystem barriers, the time has come. Google's caller update to Android expands Bluetooth LE Audio to much smartphones and headphones, allowing audio sharing betwixt much user 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 enactment Auracast, you tin stock audio with friends.

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Auracast allows 1 instrumentality to broadcast audio to an infinite fig of Auracast-supported audio receivers, truthful you tin privately stock your phone's audio with 1 person oregon with a radical of friends. Whatever audio plays connected your telephone -- music, movies, podcasts, TikTok, oregon YouTube videos -- volition broadcast into your friends' headphones.

Once you statesman an audio broadcast connected your phone, your friends tin articulation by scanning your phone's broadcast QR codification oregon via Google Fast Pair.

Which smartphones enactment LE Audio Auracast?

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Bluetooth Auracast is constricted to prime 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 besides enactment the feature. Select Xiaomi and Poco phones besides enactment LE Audio Auracast, though these phones are not straight supported by US carriers.

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More smartphones supporting LE Audio Auracast mean determination are much ways for radical to usage Auracast too backstage audio sharing. Earlier this year, Google announced Bluetooth Auracast enactment for compatible smartphones and proceeding aids. This update expanded enactment to let users to link compatible audio devices to privately perceive to nationalist broadcasts and link to those broadcasts with their Google Pixel 9 via QR code.

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Now, much devices tin entree and privately perceive to nationalist broadcasts astatine participating gyms, theaters, airports, museums, and auditoriums via QR code. Device enactment continues to expand, but wide venue adoption is slower.

Which headphones and earbuds enactment LE Audio Auracast?

Jada Jones/ZDNET

The database 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 disposable connected Sony headphones. For now, the WF-1000XM5 earbuds are the lone instrumentality documented connected Bluetooth's Auracast instrumentality list.

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For Bluetooth LE Auracast to work, your smartphone broadcasting the audio and the headphones receiving the audio indispensable beryllium compatible with the technology.