Android 16 now supports LE Audio Auracast, letting you share your phone’s audio with multiple Bluetooth headphones or broadcast.
If you’ve ever found yourself pulling out your phone or tablet to watch a movie on a long plane ride with a friend or partner, you’ve probably wished for a more streamlined way to connect multiple pairs of Bluetooth headphones or earbuds (at least since the hallowed headphone jack splitter went the way of the dodo; all hail the Android USB-C port). Although the ability to play audio across two or more devices has existed for some time, it’s always been a bit of a hassle to fiddle with menus and deal with finicky Bluetooth radios. It’s also been restricted to certain devices from companies like Samsung and Xiaomi. But with Android 16, Pixel owners can finally join the fun, bringing Google’s own devices in line with the competition. And Google is taking things a step further with the latest Play Services update, making it easier to pair additional Bluetooth audio devices.
Using Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) broadcasting, Android 16 can set up an Auracast stream: you play audio, and others can listen in. We’ve seen the feature kicking around for about a year. But as of early September, it finally arrived en masse. And there’s even better news. With a subsequent update, Google is making things much more seamless by simplifying the process for connecting multiple Bluetooth devices. Until now, connecting a second, third, or twentieth pair of headphones required scanning a QR code or going through a manual pairing process. Now, those with compatible phones and playback devices can connect much more quickly by allowing the existing Fast Pair feature to work with Auracast.
