The world of technology is sleeping on the most exciting Bluetooth feature in years

It has been a few years since the official introduction of Bluetooth technology Oracastwhich allows devices such as earphones, headphones, speakers and hearing aids to connect to a single source without the need for pairing. Just as your radio picks up your local radio stations, all you have to do is connect to the right broadcast. These could be the flight announcements from your gate at the airport, the microphone a teacher uses during a presentation, or the television you watch while on the treadmill at the gym.

By allowing you to link directly to one of these broadcasts, Auracast can increase auditory accessibility for those with hearing difficulties, or simply pick out relevant information more easily from a noisy environment. Auracast is available today, but many tech companies don’t support it yet, and others barely talk about it — even when it’s in their products.

Every year since 2023, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (Bluetooth SIG) has demonstrated Auracast capabilities at invitation-only meetings at CES. But then the news tapers off, journalists step up, and life in the audio world goes on for another 11 months before the cycle continues. There’s been an uptick in advertising recently, with Sony adding what it calls Support audio sharingwhich uses Auracast, to the XM5 and XM6 headphones, as well as Support on recent phones from Google, Samsung, and OnePlus. But you will be forgiven for losing them.

JBL is one of the few companies that constantly touts the Auracast capabilities of its compatible products — so much so that some believe Auracast is a technology exclusive to JBL (in fact, one of my colleagues thought so). It’s included in JBL’s Bluetooth speakers like the Charge 6, Clip 5and the PartyBox Stage 320, as well as headphones like the Tour One M3, which also includes a separate Auracast audio transmitter for sharing with nearby compatible headphones.

But as an early adopter, JBL ran into some problems. “Integrating Auracast into our products has presented many technological challenges, especially because we were committed to supporting it across multiple platforms during the early development phase,” says Sharon Peng, senior vice president of global engineering at JBL. “Although the Bluetooth SIG provided a basic framework, it did not cover all the nuances required for robust implementation. Early adopters like JBL had to overcome a degree of ambiguity, but the Bluetooth SIG has since provided more structured compliance and testing protocols.”

This may explain the problems reported Reddit usersspecifically with JBL PartyBox speakers, which can only receive Auracast streaming from JBL devices. Peng said JBL is aware of the issue and is working to correct it through over-the-air firmware updates. “In short, JBL’s Auracast architecture is designed for compatibility, and we’re committed to expanding support across our product portfolio to ensure users enjoy seamless connectivity – whether they’re using JBL equipment or third-party devices,” Peng said.

Henry Wong, director of market development at Bluetooth SIG, emphasized Peng’s commitment to interoperability. Wong was also aware of issues with JBL’s concert speaker placement. “We have been in contact with JBL, and they are actively working to align their products with Auracast’s full requirements to ensure broader compatibility and clarity for consumers.”

Not every company that supports Auracast is as vocal about it as JBL. Samsung has been supporting Auracast in its high-end 8K TVs since 2023, and LG has added support for 2025 model year OLED and quantum dot LED TVs. Neither company mentions Auracast support on their product pages. I only discovered that LG included it when I looked through the C5’s listings while reviewing the TV in the spring.

Actually when I wrote about the feature In June, the only online mention of Auracast support in LG TVs was Press release from StarkeyHearing aid manufacturer. LG didn’t have its own press release, and directed me to Starkey’s own press release when I asked about this feature. But limiting advertising primarily to the hearing aid community, while important, means that the public at large is not even aware of this important capability that they have already placed in or on their ears. Using Auracast with your TV allows each person to adjust the volume to their individual needs, or boost frequencies for clearer dialogue. But beyond hearing access, Auracast easily allows many people to watch something late at night with headphones without waking up the family or disturbing the neighbors.

LG informed me that while Auracast is not a major feature in its current marketing efforts, it is included in the specifications on LG’s website (although as of publication date, I still cannot find mention of Auracast on LG TV product pages). While the company has expressed its support for the technology, it has also noted that the importance of Auracast to TV buyers is still emerging.

LG is already promoting Auracast on com. xboom of speakers and earphones, but the implication is that the unknown importance to TV buyers is stifling a broader marketing push. But why the reservation? When we talk broadly about the industry, Peng may have the answer. “There has also been a degree of hesitation in the industry, which is typical for emerging technologies. Manufacturers often weigh the risks of investing in features that may not yet be widely adopted or standardized.”

However, Auracast is already in earphones and headphones, and not just the expensive ones from JBL or Sony. EarFun earphones — and they’re all under $100 — including, according to marketing director Helen Shaw, the company’s design team spent months troubleshooting compatibility issues to get it to work. And since EarFun uses Qualcomm chipsets in its earbuds, Qualcomm has helped solve some of these issues. But experience and determination from a smaller company like EarFun shows that Auracast integration doesn’t require a large company with deep pockets to invest in its future.

Where some investment in infrastructure is needed – in the form of transmitters and staff training – is where Auracast can be most useful. But this adoption was not rapid. Places, including Sydney Opera Househas begun adding Auracast support to performances, as some universities and churches have done, but it will take broader familiarity and wider availability in headphones, earbuds, and hearing aids before we see it regularly and it begins to benefit those with accessibility needs in their daily lives.

This is why the lack of more comprehensive marketing is frustrating, especially when it comes to its potential use at home. This technology is already in many people’s ears, and perhaps also in their televisions. There are also transmitters available for less than $100 to add an Auracast connection to a source you already own. If more people know about Auracast, more people will be interested in it, and places may start implementing it.

But do companies care about educating consumers? Auracast, as mentioned earlier, is a brand-independent technology. But there is a strong trend for companies to create walled gardens. TCL started doing this a little bit with the release of the Z100 Dolby Flex Connect soundbar, which requires a TCL QM 2025 series TV setup. This isn’t a limitation of Dolby Flex Connect. And of course Apple has had incredible success using this strategy, where I would type on my MacBook while wearing my AirPods and placing my iPhone in front of me and my iPad on the coffee table. Imagine how quickly Auracast technology would be adopted if Apple included it in the world’s most easily recognizable headphones and earbuds. However, so far, there has been no news from Cupertino pointing to Auracast or any future Apple app. (I’ve reached out to Apple for a statement but have yet to receive a response.)

However, there is still a lot of hope and commitment to Auracast among all the companies I spoke to. Each of them was keen to highlight the importance and potential they feel Auracast has. According to Wong of the Bluetooth SIG, “Auracast audio streaming is gaining strong momentum across the industry. We are seeing increased adoption from device manufacturers, increasing deployments in public spaces around the world, and enthusiastic support from advocacy groups and influencers.”

When (if?) Auracast becomes widely available and supported, the accessibility benefits will be enormous. All families watching TV together will be able to customize the intelligibility of their dialogue to enjoy the content equally. It will be easier to hear travel updates at your gate or announcements of the next stop on the train. Students will not have to make as much effort to listen to the lecturer, and we will be able to share our music or podcasts more easily. But we all need to know about Auracast before we care about it, and the majority of that responsibility falls on the manufacturers that support it.