Google’s rollout of Bluetooth audio sharing on Pixels has been a large number

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Google’s new Pixel Buds 2a lack Bluetooth audio sharing, highlighting a complicated and inconsistent implementation of the Auracast function throughout Pixel units. The function is mysteriously disabled on the Pixel Buds Professional 2 when paired with a Pixel telephone and artificially blocked on funds A-series telephones. This haphazard method hinders the adoption of the common Auracast normal, which may clear up audio sharing points for all shoppers.

Google’s newly introduced Pixel Buds 2a are a giant step up from the unique A-series, boasting a extra sturdy design, ANC, the Tensor A1 processor, and multipoint connectivity. It’s nice to see the corporate carry so many options from its premium earbuds all the way down to its funds lineup. Nevertheless, the absence of Bluetooth audio sharing on the Pixel Buds 2a isn’t only a easy omission. It’s a part of a complicated sample we’ve just lately found concerning audio sharing help throughout Pixel units, leaving us questioning Google’s total plans for the function.

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Audio sharing is a function that permits you to begin or hearken to an audio broadcast. You possibly can both share your individual gadget’s audio with a number of close by units or be part of an current broadcast began by one other gadget. These broadcasts are transmitted over Bluetooth Low Vitality and may be began or joined by any gadget that helps Auracast, the Bluetooth know-how that permits this function.

That is the place issues get difficult. Again in March, Google introduced that Pixel 9 house owners working Android 16 would be capable of stream Auracast broadcasts. The corporate highlighted Auracast’s use in listening to aids however made no point out of its use for basic audio sharing. This omission is unusual for a couple of causes. First, when Android 16 rolled out to the Pixel 9 collection in June, Auracast help wasn’t enabled by default and required customers to toggle it on in developer choices. Second, the Pixel 9 collection isn’t the one gadget household to help Auracast; the Pixel 8 collection does as properly. Lastly, Google’s personal Pixel Buds Professional 2 help Auracast, but the announcement failed to say them.

<img class="e_dh" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 64rem) 51.25rem, 80vw" title="Listening to an Auracast stream with the Pixel Buds Pro 2" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Listening_to_an_Auracast_stream_with_Pixel_Buds_Pro_2.jpg 1920w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Listening_to_an_Auracast_stream_with_Pixel_Buds_Pro_2-1440w-1080h.jpg 1440w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Listening_to_an_Auracast_stream_with_Pixel_Buds_Pro_2-1152w-864h.jpg 1152w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Listening_to_an_Auracast_stream_with_Pixel_Buds_Pro_2-507w-380h.jpg 507w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Listening_to_an_Auracast_stream_with_Pixel_Buds_Pro_2-64w-48h.jpg 64w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Listening_to_an_Auracast_stream_with_Pixel_Buds_Pro_2-1000w-750h.jpg 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Listening_to_an_Auracast_stream_with_Pixel_Buds_Pro_2-675w-506h.jpg 675w" alt="Listening to an Auracast stream with the Pixel Buds Pro 2" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Listening_to_an_Auracast_stream_with_Pixel_Buds_Pro_2.jpg"/> Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority

The primary level is definitely defined by the truth that the function is now out there by default in Android 16 QPR1, suggesting Google merely wasn’t able to launch it in June. Whereas it is a minor difficulty, Google ought to have higher communicated the delay to its customers. (The corporate nonetheless doesn’t supply any help pages on the function, as an example.)

The second level is tougher to clarify. We’re sure the Pixel 8 collection helps Auracast; in any other case, Google wouldn’t have gone out of its approach to allow the function on these units. I haven’t observed any points utilizing Auracast on my Pixel 8 Professional, although I can’t assure the expertise might be flawless for everybody.

The final level is essentially the most complicated. When Google initially launched the Pixel Buds Professional 2 final yr, Auracast labored completely. Now, nevertheless, the function appears to be disabled on new items. For months, we assumed Google had pushed a firmware replace to dam it, however a current discovery by a Reddit person suggests the block isn’t on the earbuds in any respect. They discovered that Auracast may be re-enabled on the Buds Professional 2 by merely resetting the paired Pixel telephone’s Bluetooth settings. This wouldn’t be potential if the function have been disabled on the firmware stage. To substantiate the block was certainly on the telephone facet, I requested my colleague, Adam Birney, to check his Pixel Buds Professional 2 with a non-Pixel gadget, the Samsung Galaxy S25. Lo and behold, Auracast labored.

<img class="e_dh" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="calc(min(calc(100vw - 1.875rem), 51.25rem) / 2)" title="Pixel Buds Pro 2 connected to Samsung Galaxy S25" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Pixel-Buds-Pro-2-connected-to-Samsung-Galaxy-S25-scaled.jpg 855w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Pixel-Buds-Pro-2-connected-to-Samsung-Galaxy-S25-21w-64h.jpg 21w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Pixel-Buds-Pro-2-connected-to-Samsung-Galaxy-S25-1000w-2993h.jpg 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Pixel-Buds-Pro-2-connected-to-Samsung-Galaxy-S25-481w-1440h.jpg 481w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Pixel-Buds-Pro-2-connected-to-Samsung-Galaxy-S25-361w-1080h.jpg 361w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Pixel-Buds-Pro-2-connected-to-Samsung-Galaxy-S25-289w-864h.jpg 289w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Pixel-Buds-Pro-2-connected-to-Samsung-Galaxy-S25-127w-380h.jpg 127w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Pixel-Buds-Pro-2-connected-to-Samsung-Galaxy-S25-401w-1200h.jpg 401w" alt="Pixel Buds Pro 2 connected to Samsung Galaxy S25" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Pixel-Buds-Pro-2-connected-to-Samsung-Galaxy-S25-scaled.jpg"/> Pixel Buds Professional 2 related to Samsung Galaxy S25 <img class="e_dh" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="calc(min(calc(100vw - 1.875rem), 51.25rem) / 2)" title="Searching for Auracast broadcast on Pixel Buds Pro 2 connected to Samsung Galaxy S25" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Searching-for-Auracast-broadcast-on-Pixel-Buds-Pro-2-connected-to-Samsung-Galaxy-S25.jpg 1080w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Searching-for-Auracast-broadcast-on-Pixel-Buds-Pro-2-connected-to-Samsung-Galaxy-S25-30w-64h.jpg 30w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Searching-for-Auracast-broadcast-on-Pixel-Buds-Pro-2-connected-to-Samsung-Galaxy-S25-1000w-2167h.jpg 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Searching-for-Auracast-broadcast-on-Pixel-Buds-Pro-2-connected-to-Samsung-Galaxy-S25-665w-1440h.jpg 665w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Searching-for-Auracast-broadcast-on-Pixel-Buds-Pro-2-connected-to-Samsung-Galaxy-S25-498w-1080h.jpg 498w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Searching-for-Auracast-broadcast-on-Pixel-Buds-Pro-2-connected-to-Samsung-Galaxy-S25-399w-864h.jpg 399w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Searching-for-Auracast-broadcast-on-Pixel-Buds-Pro-2-connected-to-Samsung-Galaxy-S25-175w-380h.jpg 175w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Searching-for-Auracast-broadcast-on-Pixel-Buds-Pro-2-connected-to-Samsung-Galaxy-S25-554w-1200h.jpg 554w" alt="Searching for Auracast broadcast on Pixel Buds Pro 2 connected to Samsung Galaxy S25" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Searching-for-Auracast-broadcast-on-Pixel-Buds-Pro-2-connected-to-Samsung-Galaxy-S25.jpg"/> Looking for Auracast broadcast on Pixel Buds Professional 2 related to Samsung Galaxy S25 We don’t know why Auracast is disabled on the Pixel Buds Professional 2 when paired with a Pixel telephone. Once we requested Google for an replace, a spokesperson instructed us they “don't have anything new to share about Auracast right now.” It’s potential Google bumped into unresolved points and selected the best path to cover the function from most customers. However because the firm gained’t remark, we’re left to take a position.

The Pixel Buds Professional 2 fiasco isn’t the tip of the story. Google can also be artificially limiting the function on its funds A-series telephones, more likely to push customers towards its costlier fashions. Once we first reported that A-series telephones would miss out on Auracast, it was unclear if this was resulting from {hardware} limitations or product segmentation. Whereas we nonetheless can’t verify the Pixel 8a’s capabilities, we have been in a position to allow and use Auracast on a rooted Pixel 9a, proving its omission is a software program block, not a {hardware} one.

<img class="e_dh" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 64rem) 51.25rem, 80vw" title="Auracast on a Pixel 9a paired to the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Auracast-on-a-Pixel-9a-paired-to-the-Galaxy-Buds-2-Pro-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Auracast-on-a-Pixel-9a-paired-to-the-Galaxy-Buds-2-Pro-64w-36h.jpg 64w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Auracast-on-a-Pixel-9a-paired-to-the-Galaxy-Buds-2-Pro-1000w-563h.jpg 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Auracast-on-a-Pixel-9a-paired-to-the-Galaxy-Buds-2-Pro-1920w-1080h.jpg 1920w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Auracast-on-a-Pixel-9a-paired-to-the-Galaxy-Buds-2-Pro-1536w-864h.jpg 1536w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Auracast-on-a-Pixel-9a-paired-to-the-Galaxy-Buds-2-Pro-675w-380h.jpg 675w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Auracast-on-a-Pixel-9a-paired-to-the-Galaxy-Buds-2-Pro-300w-170h.jpg 300w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Auracast-on-a-Pixel-9a-paired-to-the-Galaxy-Buds-2-Pro-1280w-720h.jpg 1280w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Auracast-on-a-Pixel-9a-paired-to-the-Galaxy-Buds-2-Pro-840w-472h.jpg 840w" alt="Auracast on a Pixel 9a paired to the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Auracast-on-a-Pixel-9a-paired-to-the-Galaxy-Buds-2-Pro-scaled.jpg"/> Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority

There’s nothing inherently improper with limiting software program options to pick fashions. Firms have to differentiate their merchandise past {hardware}, and software program improvement prices money and time. However Google’s haphazard method to Auracast — from the problems on the Pixel Buds Professional 2 to the dearth of help on the A-series — suggests a scarcity of curiosity in pushing the usual ahead. At the moment, Samsung appears like the one main firm that really cares about Auracast, bringing it to a variety of its telephones, tablets, earbuds, and TVs.

This can be a disgrace, as a result of Auracast is an excellent know-how that solves a standard Bluetooth headache: sharing audio. Anybody who has tried to look at a film with a good friend on a aircraft is aware of the battle. Present audio-sharing options are a large number — some are proprietary and solely work with a particular model’s earbuds, whereas many units lack the function solely.

Auracast is supposed to be the common resolution, nevertheless it’s caught in a vicious cycle. If telephone makers like Google don’t broadly help it, headphone makers don't have any cause to prioritize it. And if few audio merchandise help it, telephone makers have little incentive so as to add it. In the end, shoppers lose out. I hope Google addresses these rollout points and champions Auracast with the identical vitality it’s giving to Qi2 help on the brand new Pixel 10.

Google Pixel Buds 2a Google Pixel Buds 2a

Twist-to-adjust stabilizer • ANC • Binaural audio help

Price range worth, premium options.

The Google Pixel Buds 2a are the 2025 budget-friendly Pixel Buds providing. Because the smallest and lightest A-series buds but, the Buds 2a are outfitted with ANC, a twist-to-adjust stabilizer, and the Tensor A1 chipset. They combine with Gemini AI instruments, and supply an IP54 score. Do not let the phrase "funds" idiot you, the Buds 2a supply as much as 10 hours of music playback per cost, an simply repaired charging case, Binaural audio help, and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity with Multipoint switching.