Android 16 introduces an Audio Sharing feature designed to stream sound from one device to multiple Bluetooth headphones simultaneously. This feature aims to offer convenience by allowing users to share audio without physically sharing earbuds. However, its adoption faces significant compatibility challenges.
Audio Sharing uses Auracast and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio technology to broadcast music, podcasts, or movies to multiple headsets, speakers, or hearing aids at once. If you and another person each have LE Audio-compatible earbuds, you can listen to the same audio on separate devices simultaneously.
To use Audio Sharing, your phone must run Android 16 and be at least as recent as the Samsung Galaxy S23 or Google Pixel 7. Your headphones also need to support LE Audio, a standard that is not yet widespread despite its advantages for wireless sound. Compatible earbuds include Google Pixel Buds Pro 2, Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, and Sony WF-1000XM5. Previous models, such as the first-generation Pixel Buds Pro, do not support this feature.
Apple users cannot use Audio Sharing with AirPods, as no AirPods model supports LE Audio. This highlights the ongoing incompatibility between Apple’s closed ecosystem and Android’s open approach. Although Apple allows Quick Share for file sharing between iPhones and Android devices, wireless audio sharing remains unavailable across platforms.
Users have reported issues with Audio Sharing even when using compatible devices. LE Audio is often disabled by default, pairing multiple earbuds can be challenging, and connections can be unstable. These problems lead to a troubleshooting-heavy experience rather than seamless audio streaming.
To enable Audio Sharing, pair both sets of earbuds via Bluetooth, then go to Settings > Connected devices > Connection preferences > Audio sharing. Toggle sharing on, and select the devices to stream to. An ”Improve compatibility” option is available, but its effectiveness remains anecdotal.
If manufacturers widely adopt LE Audio and technical issues are resolved, Android 16’s Audio Sharing could become a popular feature for users who want to share audio without sharing hardware. Until then, physically sharing earbuds may remain the more common, though less hygienic, solution.