Windows 11 users will soon be able to connect two audio output devices simultaneously. Users have been requesting this feature for a long time.
The feature was spotted by Phantomofearth, who shared a couple of screenshots to highlight the new settings. Users will be able to select "Shared Audio" from the quick settings panel, which will prompt you to select two output devices to connect to. All you have to do is pick the devices from the list, and click on the Share button, it should work.
It's not just about connecting 2 audio devices and switching between them as needed. We are talking about simultaneous playback here, in theory you should be able to use it to play audio out of 2 different sets of speakers, right? I guess it would even be possible to mix and match a wired speaker, and add a Bluetooth soundbar to the mix. That could boost the volume up, and offer a nice to watch movies. Or, as Windows Central notes, two people could use it for connecting 2 pairs of headphones and listen to music at the same time.
That sounds cool, but Windows is quite a bit late to the party. Both macOS and Linux have allowed users to connect multiple sound output devices since over a decade or longer. You can also do the same on smartphones.
Windows does have a way to aggregate sound devices, via the Stereo Mix settings. You have to configure it from the Sound settings. It's not a particularly convenient way to set it up. There are some third party tools that one can use to connect multiple audio output devices at the same time. Having a native option is better than to depend on apps, it would be user-friendlier, and more importantly reliable.
Do you use multiple audio output devices with your PC?
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