Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast: what a spec sheet does and does not tell you

If a pair of earbuds lists “Bluetooth 5.3”, the number refers to a version of the Bluetooth Core Specification. It does not tell you whether the earbuds support LE Audio, the newer form of Bluetooth audio, or Auracast, the broadcast feature that comes with it. Those are separate capabilities, and the maker has to state them.

LE Audio relies on a core feature introduced in version 5.2, so 5.2 or later is a starting point, not a promise. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), which manages the standard, says an Auracast product must support specific features from version 5.2 and a separate profile, the Public Broadcast Profile. Only products qualified to that profile can be licensed to use the Auracast name.

Classic Audio and LE Audio

Bluetooth audio now comes in two forms. The SIG calls the older one Classic Audio, and the codec included with it is SBC. The newer one, LE Audio, improves the performance of Bluetooth audio, adds support for hearing aids and introduces Auracast broadcast audio, according to the SIG.

Every LE Audio product must support a codec called LC3, and makers can add optional codecs on top. The SIG's LE Audio page carries this claim about it:

LC3 will provide improvements in audio quality over the SBC codec included with Classic Audio

The same passage adds that this holds even at a 50% lower bit rate, and that developers can use the power savings for longer battery life or, where battery life is already enough, a smaller battery. Those are claims about the codec, not about any finished pair of headphones.

The SIG itself describes LE Audio as building on low power. How a maker uses the savings is its own choice, so compare the battery figures on the spec sheet rather than assuming LE Audio means longer listening.

A third addition, Multi-Stream Audio, will enable the transmission of “multiple, independent, synchronized audio streams”, in the SIG's words.

Auracast: one source, many listeners

Auracast lets an audio source broadcast one or more audio streams to an unlimited number of receivers, the SIG says. Its examples include inviting others to share what you are listening to, hearing televisions in public spaces through your own earbuds, and assistive listening. The SIG expects Auracast to become the next generation of assistive listening technology. On the same page, Barbara Kelley, executive director of the Hearing Loss Association of America, says it has the potential to give people who wear hearing aids and cochlear implants an important new option for hearing access.

Finding a broadcast is meant to feel like choosing a Wi-Fi network. Auracast assistants, such as smartphones, smartwatches and hearing aid remotes, scan for broadcasts and offer a list to pick from. The SIG also describes joining by scanning a QR code.

Both ends have to match

A Bluetooth audio link has a source, such as a phone or TV, and a sink, such as headphones or a speaker. The SIG says Classic Audio sinks are not compatible with LE Audio sources: sinks and sources must use the same approach. Its FAQ also says it is possible that existing Classic Audio products could be compatible with LE Audio sources, and that buyers need to check with the maker, so treat a match at both ends as the safe assumption.

Classic Audio support is not mandatory for LE Audio products, although the SIG expects many products that support LE Audio to keep supporting Classic Audio. If you own older phones or laptops, check that a new pair of earbuds still supports Classic Bluetooth audio.

Can older equipment be upgraded? The SIG's answer is that it depends on the Bluetooth capabilities already in a device and on the maker's product strategy, that it expects many TVs to need a hardware upgrade, and that consumers need to check with the maker. It also points to plug-in aftermarket transmitters as another route.

Where support stands in 2026

In a post on June 12, 2026, the SIG said that with Android 16, Auracast is supported at the operating-system level, and that the latest Android TV OS (TV 14) lets TV makers build it in. It named Samsung, Google and Xiaomi as phone makers scaling Auracast; Samsung, LG, Hisense and TCL among TV makers; GN ReSound, Starkey and Oticon among hearing aid makers; and JBL, Sennheiser and Sony among audio brands shipping or integrating Auracast products.

That is the standard body's own summary, and it names brands, not models. Check the specific model you are considering.

How to read a listing

The soundbars in our comparison of six Sonos and Bose models are an example. Five of their six product pages give a Bluetooth version, from 5.0 (Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar) to 5.3 (Sonos Arc Ultra), and the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) page lists none. A version number alone does not answer the LE Audio question.

Before you buy

• Look for the words LE Audio, LC3 or Auracast in the maker's own specifications, not just a version number.
• Check the other end of the connection: your phone, TV or laptop has to use the same approach.
• For equipment you already own, ask the maker whether an update is planned. The SIG says upgradability depends on the hardware.
• If you wear hearing aids, ask the hearing aid maker which Auracast features your model supports.