You are at an airport gate, staring at a muted TV you cannot hear. Or at the gym, watching a soccer match with no sound while a treadmill roars beside you. For two decades, Bluetooth could not fix this, because Classic Bluetooth was built to pair one phone to one set of headphones, full stop. That limitation is finally going away.
The fix is a new generation of Bluetooth called LE Audio, and its headline feature is Auracast broadcast audio. If you have shopped for earbuds or a phone in the last couple of years, you have probably seen these terms on the box without much explanation. Here is what they actually mean, in plain English.
LE Audio is a rebuilt version of Bluetooth audio that runs over Bluetooth Low Energy using a new codec called LC3, giving similar or better sound at lower power. Auracast is its broadcast feature: one transmitter (a phone, a gym TV, an airport screen) streams to an unlimited number of nearby earbuds and hearing aids at once, with no pairing. The catch is that both your phone and your earbuds must support LE Audio, because it is not backward compatible with older Classic Bluetooth.
What LE Audio actually is
Classic Bluetooth audio has used a profile called A2DP since the early 2000s, and A2DP leans on an old codec called SBC. LE Audio is the ground-up replacement. Instead of running on the older Bluetooth Classic radio, it runs on Bluetooth Low Energy, the same efficient radio mode that fitness trackers and smart sensors already use to sip power.
The technical groundwork landed in Bluetooth Core Specification 5.2 in December 2019, which added a feature called Isochronous Channels that makes timed, synchronized audio possible over Low Energy. The Bluetooth SIG, the industry body that governs the standard, then announced the completion of the full LE Audio specification suite on July 12, 2022. So the standard itself is settled. What you are waiting on now is chipset and firmware support inside actual devices.
The LC3 codec: better sound, less drain
At the heart of LE Audio is a new codec called LC3 (Low Complexity Communication Codec). A codec is the method used to compress audio so it fits over a wireless link. The Bluetooth SIG says listening tests show LC3 delivers similar or better quality than the old SBC codec even at a lower bitrate, so the sound does not suffer when less data is sent.
Lower bitrate means less data over the air, which means less battery drain on both the phone and the earbuds. In practice that means longer playback time, or smaller buds with the same battery. It is the kind of behind-the-scenes upgrade you do not notice directly but benefit from every day. If battery life is your main concern across devices, our guide to checking laptop battery health covers the bigger picture.
Auracast: Bluetooth that broadcasts to everyone
This is the feature worth getting excited about. Auracast turns one device into a radio station for audio. A transmitter advertises a stream, and any nearby receiver, your earbuds or hearing aids, can tune in without pairing, without a passcode, and without a fixed limit on how many people listen at once. Range depends on the transmitter, but an indoor broadcast commonly reaches across a room or a gate area, and latency is low enough to keep video roughly lip-synced.
The use cases write themselves. That muted airport TV sends its audio straight to your earbuds. A gym streams every cardio-machine screen. A theater or place of worship offers an assistive listening channel any compatible hearing aid can join. A tour guide talks to a whole group. You can even share a song with a friend by broadcasting from your phone, instead of passing a single earbud.
How you actually join a broadcast
Joining is meant to feel like connecting to public Wi-Fi, not like pairing Bluetooth. There are a few common methods. You scan a QR code posted at the venue with your camera, tap an NFC point the way you tap to pay, or open a list of nearby broadcasts on your phone and pick the channel you want. Some streams are open; others are protected with a passcode the venue gives you.
What works well today is pairing your own LE Audio earbuds to a supported Android phone and joining an Auracast stream at a venue that has a transmitter. What you should not expect yet is to walk into any random airport or gym and find Auracast everywhere. Venue rollout is still early, and the iPhone has no native general-audio Auracast support.
Why both your phone and earbuds must support it
Here is the part that trips people up. LE Audio is not backward compatible with Classic Bluetooth A2DP. The Low Energy radio and the Classic radio do not speak the same audio language, so both ends of the link, the source and the receiver, must support LE Audio for any of this to work. Your three-year-old earbuds will not get Auracast from a firmware update if their chip cannot do it.
Many newer devices are dual-mode: they fall back to Classic Bluetooth when LE Audio is not available on the other side, which is why a single pair of buds can work both ways. If your buds keep dropping the connection on an older PC, that is a separate Classic-Bluetooth issue, and our fix for Bluetooth disconnecting on Windows 11 can help.
Which devices support it right now
Android leads. Google enabled Auracast on Pixel 8 and newer, and Samsung supports it on Galaxy S23 and later. On the earbuds side, Galaxy Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro, Pixel Buds Pro 2, and headphones like the JBL Tour One M3 are on board, plus a growing list of Auracast hearing aids. Apple is the notable holdout: as of iOS 26, the iPhone uses LC3 in some contexts but has no native Auracast broadcast support, so iPhone users with compatible hearing aids rely on the hearing-aid maker’s own app as a bridge.
| Feature | Classic Bluetooth (A2DP) | LE Audio |
|---|---|---|
| Radio | Bluetooth Classic | Bluetooth Low Energy |
| Default codec | SBC | LC3 |
| Power use | Higher | Lower at similar quality |
| Broadcast to many | No | Yes (Auracast) |
| Hearing aid support | Limited/proprietary | Built into the standard |
| Min. spec | Older versions | Core Spec 5.2+ with LE Audio |
If you are shopping now and want this future-proofing, check the spec sheet for the words “LE Audio” and “Auracast” specifically, not just a Bluetooth version. Our roundup of the best wireless earbuds in 2026 flags which models support it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need new earbuds and a new phone for Auracast?
In almost all cases, yes. LE Audio and Auracast are not backward compatible with Classic Bluetooth, so both the transmitting device and your earbuds or hearing aids must support LE Audio. A firmware update generally cannot add it to older hardware whose chipset lacks the feature.
Does the iPhone support Auracast?
Not as native general-audio broadcast as of iOS 26. Apple uses the LC3 codec in some situations but has not added native Auracast broadcast support to the iPhone. iPhone owners with Auracast-capable hearing aids can sometimes join broadcasts through the hearing-aid maker’s own app as a workaround.
Is LC3 better than aptX or AAC?
They are different tools. LC3 is designed for efficiency, delivering similar or better quality than the old SBC codec at a lower bitrate, which saves battery. High-bitrate codecs like aptX or LDAC can still push more data for audiophile listening, but LC3’s strength is solid quality at low power and low latency.
Is Auracast secure if anyone can join?
Public broadcasts like a gym TV are meant to be open, similar to public radio, so there is no private data to expose. For broadcasts that should be restricted, the transmitter can require a passcode that you enter when joining, which keeps uninvited listeners out.
Where will I actually find Auracast in public?
Early venues include airports, gyms, waiting rooms, theaters, lecture halls, and places of worship that install a transmitter. Adoption is still ramping up, so coverage is patchy in 2026. You typically join by scanning a posted QR code, tapping an NFC point, or selecting the broadcast from a list on your phone.