Google might not bring Auracast sharing to certain Pixels after all

Auracast seems to be the “next big thing” in Bluetooth audio streaming. Sharing audio from one Android device to multiple Bluetooth headphones is a feature that should have arrived years ago, but it’s finally coming with Android 15. You’d think the feature would be available on all devices that support Android 15, right? Sadly, it seems Google might not bring this feature to its mid-range and older devices, notably the Pixel 7 series and Pixel 8a.

While the Google Pixel 8a might be one of the best Android smartphones you can buy today, a new report from Android Authority claims it will miss out on one of Android 15’s most exciting features. Even though the Pixel 8a supports streaming audio over Bluetooth LE to a single device, it likely won’t have Bluetooth LE Audio broadcast support.

For those unaware, Bluetooth LE Audio broadcasting, or “Audio sharing” as Google calls it, is one of the best features coming in Android 15. This feature allows you to connect multiple Bluetooth LE-compatible audio devices to your Android smartphone and share the same audio stream on all headphones simultaneously. While similar functionality exists on some Samsung phones, Google is baking it directly into Android 15.

Google could keep this feature exclusive to flagship devices

It, however, appears that Google plans to reserve this feature for flagship smartphones. While Mishaal Rahman was able to enable the feature on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, he couldn’t do so on the Pixel 8a, despite having hardware that supports it. The report mentions that this feature could be added later, but according to a source, “Google intends for LE Audio broadcast support to be reserved for ‘leading phones’ in the Pixel lineup.”

This isn’t surprising since Google has traditionally reserved some features for higher-end Pixels. The Pixel 8a also doesn’t support Spatial Audio, unlike the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. Besides the Pixel 8a, it seems this feature will also not be coming to the Pixel 7 and Pixel 6 series. It’s looking likely that Audio Sharing will only support a handful of devices at launch, including the Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, and Pixel 9 series.

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