“Auracast is Here!” Now What?

Recently, a well-known audiologist in the industry asked me for my take on Auracast™: “A hearing aid company is pushing Auracast hard, and hearing health care providers might have inflated expectations on its availability over the next few years. What do you think?”

My short take…

Auracast is a new Bluetooth technology that allows people to receive audio streaming from a multitude of sources, like TVs or public announcement (PA) systems, directly to their audio devices and hearing aids.* It also allows you to stream and share your own audio, like music or podcasts, to those who wish to listen to it.

• Auracast streamed assistive listening systems (ALS) is very promising, but for it to be an effective alternative to current ALS we need, as standard, the inclusion of Auracast in 1) Most OTC and prescription hearing instruments and wireless earbuds, and 2) The widespread installation of Auracast streamed assistive listening installations in public and private facilities.
• To benefit from current the current ALS in use worldwide (hearing loops, FM, or Infrared systems with neckloops) and future Auracast installations, consumers need devices that include both Auracast and telecoils. The inclusion of both technologies in hearing instruments is recommended by the European Federation of Hard of Hearing People (EFHOH) and the Center for Hearing Access. This approach is also known as “ADA-Access-Ready” hearing instruments.
• Consumers need the simplest way to find and connect their hearing devices to Auracast streamed ALS. Therefore, the hearing industry needs to develop easy button-push connectivity (similar to using a telecoil).

My long take…

I have experienced Auracast on two occasions: once in Sydney, Australia, at a demo organized by Bluetooth SIG & Cochlear (January 2024) and recently in a church in Illinois (February 2025).

• In Sydney, attendees listened via Samsung wireless earbuds, using a Samsung Galaxy phone with a preloaded Auracast assistant app to five different transmitters (two ReSound TV streamers, an Ampetronic/Listen Auri system in a simulated lecture situation, and a Samsung computer and a Samsung phone.) Disappointingly, no neckloop receivers were provided during this demo for the hearing aid or cochlear Implant users who were present. The technology worked flawlessly, with the limited options that were pre-set, and the app permitted one to instantly switch from one broadcast to another.
• In a small church sanctuary during February 2025, my experience involved an Ampetronic/Listen Auri transmitter set to 50% power. The Auri transmitter had been set up to send two audio streams: a lower bit rate for hearing aids/ALS listening) and a higher bit rate (for wireless earphones.)

My overall impressions of Auracast in the church sanctuary

With the low-bit streaming, I experienced great speech quality, similar to what I have experienced in well-installed hearing loops with properly adjusted telecoils. It was impressive that this small transmitter could provide a strong, clear signal that easily covered the sanctuary and beyond. I connected to the Auracast stream using my 3+ year-old open-fit Receiver-in-Canal (RIC) hearing aids set to telecoil and an Auri receiver with a neckloop.

I also listened using three other receivers: 1) Sennheiser wireless earbuds, 2) Auri Receiver with headphones permanently set up to receive the signal automatically (i.e., no Auracast assistant needed for the user), and 3) a set of ReSound Nexia hearing aids (set to receive the Auracast broadcast using the ReSound 3D app)—with the mic off (otherwise, these instruments, programmed for someone else’s ears, audibly fed back into my ears).

All receivers worked similarly with little perceptible latency throughout the sanctuary. While overspill has advantages in many situations (you can walk outside a sanctuary to comfort a fussy child and still hear), it can be a disadvantage in situations where confidentiality is of concern or where overspill may compete with other Auracast broadcasts.

Transmitters should have controllable output power, which needs to be carefully set during installation. (In Europe, the permitted Auracast emission power is considerably lower than in the United States, so overspill may not be as great.) Overspill from multiple Auracast broadcasts in an airport or conference center may also make having a dedicated and viable ALS stream and an easy HA connection, by way of a simple push button, more complex.

I believe that Auracast for ALS purposes needs to be simple, similar to how users currently connect to hearing loop signals. In a venue with only one or two Auracast broadcasts, users could conceivably push a hearing aid button until they find the desired low-bit Auracast stream.

Using Auracast today and in the near future

I see three ways people will be able to use Auracast in the next few years:

1. For those without hearing aids, there are two options: A) Use Auracast-compatible wireless earbuds like Sennheiser TWS4 or JBL Tour Pro3
   (Note: There are reports that Apple is "super excited” about Auracast—indeed, Apple products could significantly accelerate the implementation of this technology), or B) Use an Auracast receiver with the supplied wired headphones or your own wired earbuds.
2. Until patients update their devices, or for users of two different makes of hearing devices, the Auracast system can be used like FM or infrared systems (via telecoils borrowed receivers with neckloops).
3. Users of Auracast-compatible/activated hearing aids or CI processors will likely need a smartphone app to connect to the Auracast stream. Hopefully, the app permits changes in the ambient sound pickup. My experience with hearing loops has shown me that the more hearing loss a person has, the more users need to be educated about the “Mic+Telecoil” mix (in this case, the “Mic+Auracast” mix) to hear and monitor their voice for speaking and singing.

It's important to note that a smartphone doesn't need to support LE Audio to control hearing instruments capable of receiving Auracast streams. An iOS or Android app can read what Auracast channels the hearing device is receiving and allow the user to select one. However, some Auracast-compatible earbuds capable of receiving higher-bitrate streams may require users to own a phone that supports Bluetooth LE Audio.

Issues that may hinder the adoption speed of Auracast by hearing instrument users

Here are some factors that I think may delay the rapid adoption of Auracast:

1. Lack of push-button for Auracast direct-to-hearing instrument access and connection to a dedicated assistive listening stream. This simplicity is, in my opinion, not a “nice to have” but essential! Hearing aid users need a relatively simple system or they will not use ALS. Until I got involved with easy-to-use hearing loops, I saw FM and Infrared (IR) ALS equipment gathering dust because learning about, using, and troubleshooting these systems is not easy (also for facility staff), they can be burdensome to use, and their physical make-up and cosmetics “out the disability.”
2. Device adoption time. It will take several years (estimated to be anywhere from 5-10 years) before most consumers have obtained new Auracast compatible hearing aids or cochlear implant processors and smartphones.
3. Lack of tech-savvy consumers. Not everyone owns a smartphone and is tech-savvy enough, or has the dexterity, to make the Auracast connection.
4. Latency in some instances. Users can experience noticeable end-to-end latency and not receive clear audio
5. Lack of international uniformity. It will be a few more years before the IEC 60118-17 “Assistive listening system for hearing aid users based on 2,4 GHz audio streaming” standard is finished (slated for late 2027.) Industry experts agree that such a unifying standard is essential—as it will help ensure people with hearing loss have the best chance of enjoying a high-quality experience similar to users raving about the clarity of sound in hearing loops installed to IEC 60118-4.

It's particularly important to note that the Americans with Disabilities (ADA) requires that facilities with an ALS must provide receivers with headphones (for those without hearing aids) or neckloops (for users with hearing aids and telecoils.) Simply installing an Auracast transmitter, instructing consumers to use their smartphone to connect, and not providing receivers will NOT meet the ADA requirements. Auracast installations must also include efforts to ensure that people know an ALS is provided with clear signage posted, information on websites and Google Maps, easily accessible receivers, staff trained/knowledgeable, and regularly scheduled listening and system checks are completed.

When might Auracast streamed ALS be adopted?

Adoption of Auracast may be easiest in places where hearing loops are in use because facility operators already understand the importance of hearing access for patrons. In these looped areas, hearing providers may already routinely advocate on behalf of their patients, educate patients on the need and benefits of assistive technology, and incorporate their usage during patient counseling. These facilities would simply “add” Auracast alongside the hearing loop so patients could choose which system to use.

In places where hearing loops are less common and FM and IR systems are typically offered only because of the ADA law, facilities may not see the need to upgrade to another system because “so few visitors or patrons use it anyway.”

In places where no assistive listening systems are in use, momentum will increase faster when providers and users start Auracast advocacy to create that needed momentum.

I believe that Auracast installations can quickly increase with:

• The steady support of the hearing industry and hearing aid manufacturers by providing clear information and handouts on why ALS is needed and how Auracast installations can benefit consumers as well as the hearing industry.
• Providers who start Auracast initiatives. Similar to what happened in hearing loop-heavy areas, providers who start “Auracasting” will quickly find out that what was learned earlier by professionals who supported looping, still applies today. Readers are referred to a blog by Brian Taylor about how becoming a pillar of the community for hearing access can lead to priceless PR, as well as my Letter to Professionals and Caccavo & Lopez's How to Win Patients and Influence Community Communication.
• The demand and advocacy by informed consumers, educated by a) information in MFRs videos and booklets, b) their providers, and c) consumer organizations such as the Center for Hearing Access (CHA), Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), Hearing Health Foundation (HHF), Association of Late-Deafened Adults (ALDA), Say-What Club, etc.
• Facilities that consistently provide good experiences for people with hearing loss.

Auracast is exciting, but...

I agree with Bluetooth SIG’s recent statement that the coexistence of Auracast broadcast audio with existing assistive technology will be essential to enhancing audio experiences for hearing instrument users and people with hearing loss.

While Auracast will lead to greater accessibility options in public locations, existing systems will continue to play an important role as they are far more commonly available. The more consumers use all assistive listening systems, the faster word will spread, and others will realize they are missing out.

Providers must...

• Make ADA Access-Ready devices their default choice for patients
• Counsel patients on benefits of all the different assistive listening systems, not only Auracast
• Integrate Auracast in their office environment and become a community Auracast advocate (with greater practice PR and visibility as a result)

...if the high expectations about the public availability of Auracast are to come true.

*The full technical name is “Auracast™ Broadcast Audio used as part of an Assistive Listening System (ALS)” and is referred to as Auracast streamed ALS or simply Auracast in this article.