I'm officially done sharing earbuds with my partner, thanks to Android 16

I'll be the first to admit that sharing a pair of headphones with your partner can be pretty romantic.

Whether you are watching a movie in silence so you don't wake the baby or swaying to Al Green on a spaceship to save the galaxy, this loving exchange brings people closer together, both literally and emotionally.

It's 2026, though, and if you can believe it, there are better ways to listen to music and movies that don't involve swapping ear wax with that special someone.

Android 16 has a new Audio Sharing feature that can make these special moments that much more special for everyone involved. That is, if you can get it to work.

Related

When I'm buying new headphones, this one feature is an absolute non-negotiable

A way to make the most of your earbuds

Posts By  Tom Bedford

What is Audio Sharing?

The feature that wants to make earbud sharing obsolete

Audio Sharing is a feature in Android 16 that seeks to do away with earbud sharing entirely. It allows users to stream audio from one device onto multiple Bluetooth-enabled devices.

The feature works through Auracast and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio, which allows a single device to broadcast audio from music and streaming services to headphones, speakers, and hearing aids.

What devices are compatible with Audio Sharing?

You better be up-to-date on your headphone purchases

This is a classic good news, bad news situation for Audio Sharing on Android 16.

The good news is that most modern phones support Audio Sharing. If you own a smartphone that is newer than the Samsung Galaxy S23 or the Google Pixel 7 and has updated to Android 16, you're good to go!

The bad news is that headphone and earbud compatibility is not nearly as inclusive. Your headphones have to be Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio compatible, which is unfortunately not nearly as common as one might hope.

Current flagship devices like the Pixel Buds Pro 2, Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, and Sony WF-1000XM5 are compatible, but even the first generation Pixel Buds Pro won't allow for audio sharing, nor are older options like the Jabra 85h.

To make matters worse, Audio Sharing does not work with Apple AirPods of any kind. This isn't entirely surprising given Apple's notoriously closed ecosystem of devices, but with Quick Share finally becoming operational between iPhones and Androids, my hopes were higher than I'd like to admit.

This is definitely a notable sticking point for Audio Sharing in 2026. The value of a feature like this comes with vast compatibility, and that is unfortunately not the case for Audio Sharing on Android 16.

Does Audio Sharing actually work?

It's not just easy enough

My partner and I immediately ran into some problems when trying to get Audio Sharing to actually work.

The lack of compatible devices was a start, but even when we finally got our hands on earbuds that are supposed to be LE Audio compatible, we ran into issues trying to connect the devices.

We aren't alone either. Other users have reported serious connectivity issues, from LE Audio not being turned on by default to not even being able to connect two allegedly LE Audio compatible earbuds.

Suffice to say, Audio Sharing could definitely use a user experience improvement.

How to use Audio Sharing

Share a song today if you can

If you have an Audio Sharing compatible smartphone and two LE Audio compatible sets of earbuds, as well as the luck required to get the feature to actually work, we would be happy to walk you through how to do it yourself.

For starters, you'll want to get both pairs of earbuds, headphones, speakers, or hearing aids connected to your device's Bluetooth network.

Subscribe to our newsletter for Android 16 audio insights

Want clearer compatibility answers? Subscribe to the newsletter for in-depth guides, step-by-step troubleshooting, and curated lists of LE Audio-compatible devices, practical coverage to help you make Android 16 Audio Sharing work.

Get Updates

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

After you've done that, go to the Settings menu and click Connected devices. Under the list of your devices, click Connection preferences, and you'll see the Audio sharing option at the top beneath Bluetooth.

In the Audio sharing settings menu, you'll see the toggle to turn it on, as well as an option to Improve compatibility (if only) and the name and password of your shared audio network.

After you toggle on the Share audio button, you'll be able to pick the devices you wish to connect and then listen to shared audio from one device on both.

Audio Sharing needs work

The future is bright, though

Audio Sharing is an undeniably convenient feature, but the functionality just isn't quite there yet.

The lack of substantial compatibility combined with the finicky network problems mean that swaying to your favorite song with your partner may just have to be a bit less comfortable for the time being.

As this feature inevitably improves and more devices become compatible, though, Audio Sharing could prove to be one of the best features on Android devices for audiophiles of all walks of life.