Bluetooth SIG Launches New Brand for Broadcast Audio: Auracast™

New Bluetooth features will bring life-changing audio experiences

Beijing, June 9, 2022 - The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) today announced a new consumer brand for the upcoming Bluetooth audio broadcast feature, formerly known as Audio Sharing, which has been renamed Auracast™ broadcast audio. Auracast™ broadcast audio enables audio transmitters such as smartphones, laptops, TVs, and public address systems to broadcast audio to an unlimited number of nearby Bluetooth audio receivers such as speakers, headphones, and hearing aids.

“ Bluetooth audio has had a huge impact on the market. A simple wireless audio connection between two Bluetooth devices has made streaming more secure and life more efficient. It has also become more convenient and fun for people to listen to personal audio such as music, podcasts, video streaming, etc. The introduction of Auracast™ broadcast audio will trigger another huge change in the wireless audio market. The audio broadcasting and sharing capabilities enabled by Bluetooth technology will reshape personal audio and enable public places to provide more accessible audio experiences, thereby improving visitor satisfaction.” said Mark Powell, CEO of the Bluetooth SIG.

“The introduction of Auracast™ Broadcast Audio continues to drive innovation in Bluetooth technology,” said Peter Liu, System Architect, Pixel Ecosystem Products, Google. “We are honored to be working with the Bluetooth SIG and look forward to this feature providing consumers with imaginative new ways to connect with each other and the world.”

Auracast™ Broadcast Audio will deliver a life-changing new audio experience, allowing people to better connect with each other and the world around them. The feature will enable:

• Share Our Audio : Auracast™ Broadcast Audio enables people to invite others to share the audio experience, bringing people closer together. When people use wireless headphones to listen to songs and movies playing on their smartphones, tablets or laptops, they can invite family and friends to join them through Auracast™ Broadcast Audio and listen using their own Auracast™ Bluetooth headphones or hearing aids.

Figure 1: Auracast™ broadcast audio, users can invite others to share their audio experience, bringing them closer together

“Pairing smartphones with earphones or headphones via Bluetooth technology has become a part of people’s lives, giving personal audio users a whole new level of convenience and experience,” said Xuezhong Zeng, senior vice president of Xiaomi Group and president of the mobile division. “The launch of Auracast™ Broadcast Audio will upgrade the personal wireless listening experience to a shared wireless listening experience, fully tapping the potential of wireless audio and bringing more value and a better experience to our customers.”

• Unmute Our World: Auracast™ Broadcast Audio will allow people to fully enjoy television programs that are otherwise muted in public places, giving them a more complete viewing experience. Silent TVs in public places such as airports, stadiums, restaurants and waiting rooms will be able to play audio, and people can listen using any Auracast™-enabled Bluetooth headset or hearing aid.

Figure 2: With Auracast™ broadcast audio, users can enjoy TV in public places and listen to content that was previously muted, creating a more complete viewing experience

• Hear Our Best: Auracast™ Broadcast Audio delivers the best possible listening experience anywhere. In public places such as transportation hubs, movie theaters, convention centers, places of worship, and more, people can receive audio broadcasts from public address systems directly through their Auracast™ Bluetooth headphones or hearing aids. For example, travelers at an airport can receive important flight announcements such as gate changes, boarding schedules, and other travel information directly on their personal audio devices. When used in this way, Auracast™ Broadcast Audio leverages its next-generation Assistive Listening System (ALS) technology.

Figure 3: Broadcasting audio via Auracast™ allows users to listen to optimized audio at any location

“While current Assistive Listening System (ALS) technologies, such as induction coils, have provided many benefits to the hearing impaired, they still face challenges that limit their deployment, including low quality, high cost, and lack of privacy, ” said Nick Hunn , Chief Technology Officer at WiFore. “Auracast™ Broadcast Audio is poised to become the next generation of advanced assistive listening systems, significantly simplifying deployment and reducing costs while improving audio quality, privacy, and access to audio, enriching people’s lives by optimizing the hearing experience.”

“ Hearing loss can make it difficult for people to hear and understand conversations in everyday life. Innovations in audio quality can benefit everyone, but they can also improve the quality of communication for people with hearing loss, so it’s important that technology meets the needs of people with hearing loss,” said Barbara Kelley, executive director of the Hearing Impairment Association of America. “Technologies like Auracast™ Broadcast Audio will provide an important new option for people with hearing aids and cochlear implants to help them hear better in their daily lives.”

“Auracast™ broadcast audio will change the way the world interacts with wireless audio, driving innovative user experiences and enabling a new generation of hearing aid technology in all types of public places,” said Andrew Zignani, Research Director at ABI Research. “ABI Research anticipates that the wireless and hearing aid industries will quickly embrace low-power audio and Auracast™ technology, enabling more people to share their audio experiences with others, listen to public broadcasts, and bring an easy-to-use, interoperable and consistent standardized hearing aid experience to the hearing-impaired.”

Availability and more information

The Bluetooth specification defining Auracast™ broadcast audio is part of the Bluetooth Low Energy audio specification suite, which is expected to be released in the coming months. Audio product developers and venue operators can learn more about Auracast™ broadcast audio at bluetooth.com/auracast.