Speakers that say Auracast but only talk to themselves

The short answer: on most portable speakers, "Auracast" means "links with more speakers of the same brand". It replaces the maker's old party mode. No mainstream speaker maker we could find promises that its speaker will join a broadcast from your phone, your TV or a venue. If that is what you want, add a small Auracast receiver to a speaker you already own.

Two different jobs with one name

Auracast is a way to send one audio stream to any number of listeners. Earbuds and hearing aids use it to join a broadcast from a phone, a TV transmitter or a theatre.

Speaker makers picked up the same technology for a different job: playing the same music on several speakers at once. JBL used to call this PartyBoost. Soundcore called it PartyCast. Both now use Auracast under the bonnet instead.

That is a real use of Auracast, and it works. The trouble is what the logo leads a buyer to expect. A speaker has no screen. It cannot show a list of nearby broadcasts and let you pick one. So the makers give it a single Auracast button, and document one thing that button does: find another speaker of the same family.

What each maker actually says

We checked each maker's own pages on 11 November 2026.

JBL

JBL has the most Auracast speakers on sale, and its wording is consistent. The Flip 7 page says you can connect "multiple Auracast enabled JBL speakers". It does not mention phones, TVs or other brands.

Reviewers have filled the gap with reasonable guesses. SoundGuys wrote that a new JBL speaker should, in theory, sync with Auracast devices from other brands. What Hi-Fi says the same, on the grounds that Auracast is an open standard. Neither reports trying it.

Two things about JBL are certain. Auracast speakers do not link with older PartyBoost speakers such as the Flip 6 or Charge 5. The one exception is the Xtreme 4, which does both.

Harman Kardon

The Onyx Studio 9 is the only one here whose maker mentions other brands at all. Harman Kardon says you can connect two or more of its speakers "or compatible speakers from other brands". It does not say which brands, and it does not say the speaker will join a broadcast from a phone or TV. JBL and Harman Kardon are both owned by Harman, so JBL is the obvious candidate.

Soundcore

Soundcore is the clearest, in both directions. Its support site says the Boom Go 3i links only with Soundcore's own Auracast speakers, and adds that Auracast connection with other brands' devices "is not supported".

For the bigger Rave 3S, Soundcore describes pressing the Auracast button on each unit to link them: two for stereo, three or more for mono. It says nothing about joining any other broadcast.

Hisense and Victrola

Hisense's FlexBoom page says the speaker can "share audio via Auracast" and leaves it there. Victrola's Tempo bookshelf speakers are documented joining a Victrola broadcast, which is how its Auracast turntable sends a record to several rooms. Neither maker says what happens with anyone else's broadcast.

Marshall

The Emberton III and Willen II went on sale in August 2024 as "Bluetooth LE Audio-ready". Marshall's page still talks about Auracast in the future tense: the technology "will open a new world of audio sharing possibilities". More than two years on, there is nothing to switch on. We list both as Firmware pending.

So do they work across brands or not?

We don't know, and neither does anyone who hasn't tried the exact pair. "Not stated" is not the same as "no". Some of these speakers may well join a broadcast from a Samsung phone or another maker's speaker. But a maker that had tested it and seen it work would have every reason to say so, and only Soundcore has said anything definite. Its answer was no.

Until a maker promises it in writing, do not buy a speaker for a job the maker has not described.

How to test one yourself

If you can get your hands on the speaker before buying, this takes two minutes with a recent Samsung or Pixel phone:

1. Start an audio broadcast on the phone. Where to find it on each phone.
2. Do not pair the speaker to the phone. Just turn it on.
3. Press the speaker's Auracast button.
4. If the phone's music comes out of the speaker, it joined. If nothing plays after a minute, it didn't.

Try it with the broadcast password off first. If you do test one, tell us what happened and we will add it to the product page with your name on it, or without.

What works today: add a receiver to any speaker

There is a simple way to get a speaker that joins any Auracast broadcast: plug an Auracast receiver into one. The Avantree AuraLink is a small box with a 3.5 mm and an RCA output. Connect it to powered speakers, a soundbar's analogue input or a hi-fi amplifier, and that system becomes an Auracast receiver. Avantree sells it for US$66.99.

This is the better answer for the two most common reasons people ask:

• "I want my TV sound on a speaker in the next room." Put an Auracast transmitter on the TV and a receiver on the speaker.
• "I want the same music on speakers I already own." Broadcast from a phone and give each speaker a receiver.

Which should you buy?

• You want two or more matching speakers for a party: any of the JBL, Soundcore or Hisense models will do that. Buy the same brand for all of them. With JBL, check that every speaker is an Auracast model and not a PartyBoost one.
• You want a speaker that joins a phone, TV or venue broadcast: buy a receiver such as the AuraLink and use a speaker you already trust.
• You want Auracast for hearing: a speaker is the wrong tool. See hearing aids or the cheapest earbuds that work.