Meet Auracast™—the soundtrack sharing tech you need to be using

STORIES

Bluetooth’s Auracast™ is JBL’s official technology for listening with friends.

Have you ever sat on a plane next to your sibling and wished you could share a movie without sharing headphones? Or dreamed you could connect your speaker to your friends’ headphones and host a silent disco all night long without disturbing your grumpy upstairs neighbors? Maybe you want to share a focus playlist with your new work bestie while collabing on a Powerpoint, but separate desks are keeping you apart?

Hope no more. Believe in Auracast™, the technology making interconnected audio more shareable than ever. And because it’s built into some of our favorite on-the-go headphones and speakers like the JBL Tour Pro 3, the JBL Go 4, and the JBL Clip 5—listening to high-quality sound socially anywhere and with everyone just became a lot easier. Here’s how.

How does Auracast™ work?

Basically, Auracast broadcasts the sound from one speaker or smart headphones case to an unlimited number of others (even from a speaker to headphones, or the other way around!). You can think of your Auracast device as the coolest radio station in your city, and other Auracast devices as the radios tuned in. Whatever audio you play from a connected phone or laptop will go to your first Auracast-enabled device, then stream its way to the others all at once—creating one, synced-up symphony of sound.

Because it’s powered by Bluetooth LE, a version of that Bluetooth that keeps energy consumption of your speakers low, Auracast’s connectivity has a wider reach. So if you’re in the gym, you can connect with your homies from the treadmill to the weights to the yoga mats. Plus, it doesn’t suck your battery life up, making it easy to share for longer.

How do you start an Auracast™ stream?

If you’ve already got an Auracast-enabled JBL speaker or headphones, all you need to do is switch it into Auracast mode using the triangle button on its casing. Then, all your pals can hit their own devices’ Auracast button, which will connect them to the stream. Voilà! You’re ready to share.

Don’t have an Auracast device yet? Don’t fret. You can take your pick of some of our most portable and powerful speakers made for outdoor activities and listening on the go as a group—like the JBL Xtreme 4, the JBL Go 4, and or the JBL Clip 5. Or, you can go bigger and louder with our dance party staples like the JBL PartyBox Club 120 or JBL PartyBox Stage 320.

And don’t worry about excluding anyone. Your buddies with Auracast-enabled devices that aren’t JBL can still connect (even if they’re missing out on our elite sound quality). Auracast works for everyone.

What are our favorite ways to use Auracast™-enabled devices?

Now that you’ve learned all about Auracast, you might be wondering how it’ll add some spice to your life. Like the list of potential tracks for a sad girl indie playlist, the possibilities are truly endless. But we’ll start you off with some creativity-sparking suggestions.

Say you’re cooking breakfast while your roomie is stretching out before her run, you can connect your kitchen speaker and your living room speaker together to get the seize-the-day vibes going around the house.

Or: You like to hit up the elliptical after work—but so does everyone (ugh!). And there’s always a fight for which TV is playing sound on the gym floor. But if your gym has Auracast for each TV, you can choose which audio to connect your headphones to. Now everyone can listen to their reality shows and newscasts at the same time in the privacy of their own ears.

Or maybe: Movie night’s on the roof deck. A spooky movie’s cued up on the projector. You want to add in some surround sound to amp up the volume and make sure those jump scares hit. Connect a few of your Auracast speakers together and place them around the sitting area to hear the action from all sides. Audio up, terror achieved.

All it takes is a few Auracast-enabled devices synced up, a group of fun-seeking friends or family, and some smooth jams or blood-pumping entertainment—and your listening circles can connect loud and clear. Happy sharing!

Auracast™ is a registered trademark of Bluetooth.

Products Featuring Auracast

JBL Tour Pro 3

True Adaptive Noise Cancelling earbuds with JBL Spatial 360 headtracking and an audio transmitter Smart Charging Case™

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JBL Xtreme 4

Portable waterproof speaker with massive JBL Pro Sound and a convenient shoulder strap

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JBL Go 4

An ultra-portable Bluetooth speaker with big JBL Pro Sound, punchy bass, and bold styling.

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JBL Clip 5

Ultra-portable and waterproof, the JBL Clip 5 delivers surprisingly big JBL Pro Sound and punchy bass. The fully integrated carabiner hooks instantly to bags, belts or buckles.

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