What is the difference between Auracast and LE Audio?

LE Audio is the new generation of Bluetooth audio, built on Bluetooth Low Energy and the LC3 codec. It covers both point-to-point connections (Unicast) and broadcast. Auracast is the name for LE Audio broadcast: one transmitter, any number of receivers. Every Auracast device uses LE Audio, but not every LE Audio device supports Auracast.

Which phones and TVs support Auracast?

Support is growing but still uneven. It depends on the phone or TV's Bluetooth chip, its operating system version and whether the manufacturer has enabled the feature, so the same model can differ between regions or software versions. Check with the device maker for a specific model. For sources without built-in Auracast, a transmitter such as a USB-C dongle or a transceiver with TV inputs adds it.

Can an existing product get Auracast through a firmware update?

Sometimes. Auracast needs a chip that supports LE Audio and enough memory and processing headroom for LC3 and the broadcast stack. If the hardware qualifies, Auracast can often be added in firmware and delivered by OTA update, though the product's Bluetooth qualification may need updating. Tell us the product's platform and we will assess it.

Auracast broadcast audio

Auracast is the broadcast feature of Bluetooth LE Audio. Instead of pairing one source with one headphone, a transmitter sends a single audio stream that any number of Auracast receivers nearby can join. Broadcast audio uses the LC3 codec.

Auracast is gigawit’s main technology focus. We build both ends of the link, so a brand can get a complete Auracast line from one supplier, with interoperability between the two sides handled by one team. Browse Auracast products.

Transmitters

Transmitters bring Auracast to sources that do not have it built in.

Dongles: USB-C transmitters that plug into a phone, tablet or computer and broadcast its audio.
Transceivers: desktop transmitters that take audio from a TV, computer or hi-fi system over USB, optical, coaxial, RCA or HDMI ARC, and broadcast it.

Receivers

Transceivers: home and portable receivers that join a broadcast and play it through an amplifier, powered speakers or a hi-fi system.
Headphones, earbuds and speakers: Auracast receive for personal listening and shared sound.

Broadcast control

Encrypted broadcasts: a broadcast can be protected with a password, so only people who know it can listen. On our transmitters you set the broadcast name that receivers see and the password.
Broadcast assistant: many receivers have no screen to pick a broadcast from. A phone app does it for them: it lists nearby broadcasts and lets the listener choose and join one. Our own app, Gigawit Control, handles broadcast setup today, and the same capability can ship in a brand’s own app. See App.

Where it is used

Home: share TV sound with several pairs of headphones, each at its own volume, without disturbing the rest of the house.
Parties: one phone feeding several speakers at once.
Public spaces: airports, gyms and meeting rooms, where a screen or announcement system broadcasts and visitors listen on their own earbuds.

Interoperability

Auracast is an open standard, but implementations differ between phones, TVs and other brands’ devices. We test our transmitters and receivers with each other and with third-party devices. A list of tested phones, TVs and Auracast devices will be published on this page.

What it means for the listener

Sharing sound becomes as simple as joining a broadcast: no one-to-one pairing, no limit on how many people listen, and a password when the audio should stay private.