The best Samsung phones are packed with so many features that may not have heard about many of them. One such feature is Dual Audio, which enhances your phone’s Bluetooth capabilities by letting you stream audio to two devices simultaneously. This feature has been present on Samsung phones and tablets since Android 10, but given that it isn’t heavily advertised, you might not know about it.

Follow this guide to learn more about Samsung Dual Audio and how to use this handy feature.

What is Samsung Dual Audio?

On most Android phones, you can connect and stream audio to one Bluetooth device at any given time. But what if you want to stream audio to multiple devices at once? Maybe you own a pair of portable Bluetooth speakers that can’t be paired in stereo mode, but you want to stream the same audio for extra loudness? Or you want to use your earphones and speaker simultaneously? This is where Samsung’s Dual Audio feature comes in. It allows you to stream audio to two Bluetooth devices simultaneously.

Another use case when Dual Audio comes in handy is when traveling with friends or family. Want to watch a movie on your Galaxy phone but don’t want to share your earbuds with them? Use Dual Audio to stream the audio to their earbuds and to your earbuds.

The best part about Dual Audio is that it is straightforward to use. Dual Audio is available on almost all Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets released in the last few years that support Bluetooth 5.0 or newer, including the Galaxy S23 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 5.

Dual Audio and Multipoint audio are two different features. The former lets you stream audio to two earphones or speakers simultaneously. As for multipoint audio, it’s available on the best wireless earbuds, which allows them to connect to two devices and switch between them seamlessly. So, for example, you can connect your Pixel Buds Pro to your phone and laptop and move between the two devices without any issues.

Apple offers a Dual Audio-like feature on iPhones. But in the Android world, you won’t find a similar option on any other device.

You must use the Media panel on your Galaxy phone to use Dual Audio. The panel is accessible from your phone’s notification shade. If you don’t see the option on your phone, follow the below steps to activate it.

1. Expand the notification shade on your Galaxy phone to reveal the Quick settings panel.
2. Tap the three-dot menu button in the upper-right corner.
3. Select Quick panel layout.
4. Tap Device control and Media output buttons.

5. Depending on your preference, select Show always or Show when quick panel expanded.

6. Expand your Galaxy phone’s notification shade to confirm if the Media output button is visible.

How to use Samsung Dual Audio

Before using Dual Audio, connect and pair the two Bluetooth audio devices with your phone.

1. Open the Settings menu on your Galaxy phone.
2. Navigate to Connections > Bluetooth.
3. Confirm that the two Bluetooth audio devices are paired to your phone. If not, initiate the pairing process and connect them.

4. Swipe down on your phone’s notification panel.
5. Tap Media output.
6. From the panel that pops up, ensure the two Bluetooth devices you want to stream audio to are selected.
7. You can control the volume level of each Bluetooth device separately by moving the slider around below its name.
8. To stop playback to any one device, disconnect it or uncheck its name from the media panel.

With Dual Audio, you can stream audio to any two Bluetooth devices at the same time. They don’t necessarily need to be of the same brand or type. So, you can play audio to a Bluetooth speaker and a pair of headphones or about any two devices. Media playback automatically stops on earbuds or Bluetooth devices that are removed or turned off.

You might encounter a slight lag when using Dual Audio, but given the complexity of the feature, there’s not much you can do. However, the lag shouldn’t be bad enough to ruin the video or audio streaming experience.

Discover more features of your Galaxy phone

Dual Audio is only one of the many features that set Samsung phones apart from the competition. Once you get used to Dual Audio, there’s no going back, especially since other Android phones don’t offer a similar functionality. If you are new to the Samsung ecosystem, check out the best Android and One UI software tips to further improve your experience. Also, consider ditching the Samsung Keyboard for Gboard to transform your typing experience.