Samsung’s Big Galaxy Buds Update Adds Auracast, Expands 360 Audio, More

Since the introduction of the Galaxy S24 series and Galaxy AI, Samsung has been pushing towards a place where many of its best devices can also take advantage of AI and new features included in One UI 6.1. Today, their target is the Galaxy Buds 2 line and an upcoming update that brings Auracast support, 360 Audio, audio switching with more devices, and the ability to work with interpreter on a Galaxy S24.

Let’s dive into some of that a bit deeper.

The first item is Auracast, which Samsung says will see expanded support from the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and Samsung smart TVs to phones and tablets, like the Galaxy S24 series and all other devices receiving a soon-to-be-released update to One UI 6.1.

What is Auracast? Good question! It basically turns your Blutooth LE Audio supported devices into a broadcast station that can allow other devices to connect. The benefit here is that you could connect Buds 2 Pro to a smart TV to then allow multiple sets of Buds to also connect to your stream, so that multiple people could all independently listen to audio from a show. The previous connection limit was like, 2.

With this expansion to phones, Samsung offers a really cool example of going for a run with multiple friends and all being able to tune into the same playlist at the same time. Neat, right?

The next item is 360 Audio, which is simply expanding from phone and tablet support to TVs. Now, you can get surround sound from all directions on your Buds 2 while watching your TV. Lovely.

For Auto Switch, Samsung is again just expanding support to more devices. Previously only available to switch between TVs and phones, Samsung is adding support for PCs, like the Galaxy Book 4. Auto Switch allows you to use your buds to watch a show and then automatically switch to a connection on your phone if a call comes in, for example.

And finally, Samsung is bringing interpreter support to Buds 2 and the Galaxy S24 series. Here’s the explanation for how this should work:

Interpreter enhances communication by providing real-time translation on your Galaxy S24 series. When paired with Galaxy Buds, they further optimize the feature by separating sound during conversation. You can listen to translations through your earbuds, while the other person hears through your phone speaker, helping you to focus better on the conversation and eliminating the need to pass your device back and forth. Plus, you can effortlessly swap the order of speech during the conversation by simply tapping on the Galaxy Buds, without having to manually adjust the order with your phone.

Samsung says this new update will arrive on the Galaxy Buds2 Pro, Buds2 and Buds FE, starting in late February.

// Samsung