Auracast on Samsung: Galaxy Broadcast, Step by Step

Figures on this page were checked September 2026. Menu paths follow Samsung’s support pages as published; UI labels can vary by model and software version.

The One UI 8.5 rename

Start with the note that answers the most common confusion. Samsung’s support page states it directly: "Samsung has updated the name of its Auracast feature on Galaxy devices to Audio Broadcast, effective in One UI 8.5." Same capability, Samsung’s naming — so if a how-to says Auracast and your Quick Settings say Audio Broadcast, you are looking for the same switch. This page uses the support pages’ own labels for each step.

The capability itself, per the same page: "Auracast is a Bluetooth feature on the Galaxy phones that allows you to share your phone’s sound with other nearby audio devices" — the Galaxy Buds lines are the documented receiving examples, and any compatible Bluetooth headphones can listen in on a shared podcast, playlist or video.

Broadcasting from a Galaxy phone

Samsung’s support pages document two broadcast modes and two menu paths. The pages document different menu paths, and the pages themselves carry Samsung's version notes; both are reproduced here as published.

From Quick Settings (the Audio Broadcast page’s route): open Quick Settings and tap Audio broadcast. Media mode shares the phone’s music — tap Media, then the broadcast icon to start, and the X icon to end. Voice mode shares the phone’s microphone — tap Voice, then the broadcast icon, same X to end. The Listen tab on the same screen flips the phone to the receiving side: pick a stream from the list to join it.

From Settings (the route on Samsung’s “Auracast on the Galaxy Buds3 and Buds3 Pro” support page, self-noted as applying through One UI 8.0): Settings → Connections → Bluetooth → More options → "Broadcast sound using Auracast." The broadcaster can edit the broadcast’s name and password before starting — "your broadcast’s name will be visible to others who are connecting via Auracast" — then taps Start broadcast and plays audio from any app.

The password option answers the open-network worry in one line: "You can set up a password for your broadcast to block unwanted guests from accessing it." A broadcast is as public or as private as its host decides — the phone surfaces the same open-or-locked choice the Auracast standard defines at protocol level.

Listening on Galaxy Buds

The receive side is documented for the Buds line: open the Galaxy Buds settings and tap "Listen to Auracast broadcast," or open Quick Settings and tap Audio broadcast, then the Listen tab. From the list of streams in range, tap the one to join; pause or stop from the same screen. The support page names the Galaxy Buds3 and Buds3 Pro for the flow — our Galaxy Buds codec record covers the buds’ codec side, and the receivers page maps the wider device landscape.

What makes the phone dual-sided is worth restating: the same device broadcasts the podcast to a friend’s headphones and later joins the airport’s gate feed. The phone is an assistant on both trips — scanning for others’ broadcasts, advertising its own.

The hearing-aid switch

One toggle in Samsung’s broadcast steps carries outsized value: "To allow hearing aid users to listen to the broadcast, turn on the switch next to Allow hearing aids to connect." A Galaxy phone broadcasting with that switch on becomes an assistive listening transmitter — hearing aids in range see the stream and join, and the phone’s owner decided to make the room’s audio reachable.

It is the phone-scale version of the venue deployments our venues tracker documents: the transmitter side opts in, the hearing aids do the rest. The SIG’s FAQ frames the same capability at standard level — Auracast is recognized as a compliant assistive listening technology — and the hearing aids page lists the aid-side roster.

FAQ