Bluetooth that broadcasts instead of pairing. One transmitter, every pair of ears in the room, no limit on listeners.
Latest
All storiesSonova, Demant, GN, WS Audiology and Starkey, about 90% of the world market, all have Auracast hearing aids on sale, the SIG said on 22 October. True, but not equally: one of the five still has no app support, and its first switched-on Signia aid is months away.
The independent arthouse cinema had never offered an assistive listening system. Now all five of its screens broadcast over Auracast, with one Opus AuraGate per room and loan headphones for €5.
Two Swiss churches kept their hearing loops and added a transmitter. Others are retiring old receiver systems, and finding the loan desk does not disappear. One church in Hayle shows how to explain it to the congregation.
Dunedin's Regent Theatre swaps its old hearing loop for Auracast26 Oct · Venues and installsMunich Airport starts an Auracast pilot at six gates24 Oct · Venues and installsBristol Temple Meads translates platform announcements over Auracast, as RNID publishes what its station testers found21 Oct · Venues and installs
Gear that works today
Full product database| Product | What it does | Auracast status | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avantree AuraClipReceives | Clip-on receiver with a 3.5 mm output for wired headphones or a telecoil neckloop. Three channels, 100 m range, no phone needed. | Works today | from US$69.99 | Where to buy |
| Creative BT-W6Transmits | USB-C dongle for PC, Mac, PS5 and Switch. The cheapest way to turn a computer or console into a broadcaster. Note: the older BT-W5 does not do Auracast. | Works today | from A$89.95 / US$47.49 | Where to buy |
| JBL Tour Pro 3Transmits and receives | The touchscreen charging case plugs into a 3.5 mm or USB-C source and broadcasts to the buds, or to anyone else's Auracast gear. Handy on planes. | Works today | from US$299.95 | Where to buy |
| ReSound NexiaReceives | The first hearing aid with Auracast, live since 2023. Joins a broadcast directly with no neck-worn streamer. | Works today | US$2,298 to $2,998 a pair via a clinic | Where to buy |
Avantree AuraClipWorks today
ReceivesClip-on receiver with a 3.5 mm output for wired headphones or a telecoil neckloop. Three channels, 100 m range, no phone needed.
from US$69.99Where to buy
Creative BT-W6Works today
TransmitsUSB-C dongle for PC, Mac, PS5 and Switch. The cheapest way to turn a computer or console into a broadcaster. Note: the older BT-W5 does not do Auracast.
from A$89.95 / US$47.49Where to buy
JBL Tour Pro 3Works today
Transmits and receivesThe touchscreen charging case plugs into a 3.5 mm or USB-C source and broadcasts to the buds, or to anyone else's Auracast gear. Handy on planes.
from US$299.95Where to buy
ReSound NexiaWorks today
ReceivesThe first hearing aid with Auracast, live since 2023. Joins a broadcast directly with no neck-worn streamer.
US$2,298 to $2,998 a pair via a clinicWhere to buy
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How a broadcast reaches you
Three parts. Your phone is the one in the middle, and it never carries the audio.
Read the full guideSource
A TV, a dongle or a venue's audio rack sends one or more streams into the air, optionally locked with a password.
Assistant
Your phone scans for broadcasts, or reads a QR code, and tells your earbuds which one to join.
Receiver
Earbuds, headphones, hearing aids or a speaker with LE Audio. As many as are in range, all at their own volume.
Hearing aids and Auracast
Which aids join a broadcast today, which are still waiting on firmware, what to ask your audiologist, and why venues are keeping the loop for now.
Open the hearing guideWhere to hear it
All venuesSydney Opera House, SydneyAll seven indoor venues: Concert Hall, Joan Sutherland Theatre, Drama Theatre, Playhouse, Studio, Centre for Creativity and Utzon RoomVerifiedCity Recital Hall, SydneyMain auditorium and function room, plus two portable transmitters for the foyers. Induction loops kept at the box office and cloakroomVerifiedICC Sydney, SydneyGrand Ballroom, Darling Harbour Theatre, Pyrmont Theatre and the TikTok Entertainment Centre; infrared elsewhereVerifiedQueensland Performing Arts Centre, BrisbaneLyric Theatre, Concert Hall, Glasshouse Theatre and PlayhouseVerifiedUniversity of Queensland, BrisbaneAll 65 lecture theatres across St Lucia, Gatton and HerstonVerifiedBolton Clarke retirement villages, 43 villages nationallyCommunity centres across 43 villages, launched at Carrington in Parkinson, BrisbaneVerified
Explainers
All explainersWhat is Auracast?Bluetooth that broadcasts instead of pairing. One transmitter, every pair of ears in the room, no limit on listeners.How Auracast works: source, assistant, receiverThe three roles in every broadcast, what LC3 and BIS mean, why your phone is a remote control and not a relay, and where the latency comes from.Does my phone support Auracast? Samsung, Pixel, iPhone, Windows and Mac, checkedWhich phones can find and join a broadcast, which can send one, which are left out, and the exact menu to open on each. Updated as firmware lands.How to join an Auracast broadcast, step by step, on every platformThe exact taps on a Samsung, a Pixel, a Sony, with each hearing-aid maker's app, and with a dedicated receiver. Plus what to do when the broadcast does not show up.Auracast and hearing loops: why venues are keeping bothWhat a loop does that Auracast cannot, what Auracast does that a loop never could, what the Australian building code says, and the honest answer on timing.