Microsoft has tested Bluetooth shared audio in Windows 11 for a while, allowing multiple people to listen to a PC with their own pairs of Bluetooth headphones. The feature is now rolling out more widely, but there are still some catches.
The Windows 11 Insider Preview Build (26220.7051) is now available in the Dev & Beta Channels for Insider testers, and it includes expanded availability for shared audio. This feature uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Audio for you to connect two output devices at once, so you can watch a movie or listen to the same music with someone else, without turning up the volume on speakers.
Microsoft said in a blog post, “Shared audio lets students share music with a friend while studying or brings family members closer by watching a movie together on an airplane. As Insiders, you have the first opportunity to explore this feature and provide feedback before it rolls out more broadly.”
Credit: Microsoft
You can try it out by pairing and connecting two compatible Bluetooth LE Audio devices to your PC, opening the quick settings (same place as the Wi-Fi and battery options), and clicking “Shared audio (preview)” to open the panel. Windows will let you select two audio devices.
There are some catches, though. The feature available starting today on a few of Microsoft’s own Surface computers, and it’s rolling out soon to more models and Samsung’s Galaxy Book lineup. The full list from Microsoft is below.
- Surface Laptop, 13.8-inch and 15-inch* | Qualcomm Snapdragon X
- Surface Laptop for Business, 13.8 and 15-inch* | Qualcomm Snapdragon X
- Surface Pro, 13-inch** | Qualcomm Snapdragon X
- Surface Pro for Business, 13-inch** | Qualcomm Snapdragon X
- Samsung Galaxy Book5 360 | Intel Core Ultra Series 200
- Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro | Intel Core Ultra Series 200
- Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 | Intel Core Ultra Series 200
- Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge | Qualcomm Snapdragon X
- Surface Laptop, 13-inch | Qualcomm Snapdragon X
- Surface Laptop for Business, 13-inch | Qualcomm Snapdragon X
- Surface Pro, 12-inch | Qualcomm Snapdragon X
- Surface Pro for Business, 12-inch | Qualcomm Snapdragon X
You also need headphones or earbuds that properly support Bluetooth Low Energy, like the Sony WH-1000XM6 and various Samsung Galaxy Buds models. The feature in Windows will probably continue expanding to more computers, but if your headphones don’t already support the required Bluetooth mode, that probably won’t change with updates.
The feature doesn’t support one Bluetooth audio device with one wired audio device, at least for now—both pairs of headphones or earbuds have to be wireless. Bluetooth adds more latency that might be difficult to synchronize with wired devices, but that would definitely be a useful addition.
In the meantime, you’re better off with wired headphones and a simple audio jack splitter for private listening with multiple people. That isn’t an option with most wireless earbuds, but some wireless headphones can still use a 3.5mm audio as input, in addition to all the wired-only headphones.
Source: Windows Insider Blog
