Apple Brings Multi-User Audio Sharing to Beats Studio Pro

Apple recently released a firmware update for the Beats Studio Pro, bringing multi-user audio sharing to the top-of-the-line Beats offering — reports 9to5Mac.

Audio sharing allows users to stream the same audio to multiple pairs of headphones. Up until now, multi-user audio sharing was exclusive to the H-series chips that power the entirety of Apple’s AirPods line.

In comparison to the premium AirPods Max, Beats’ top-end over-ear headphones are cheaper, lack some AirPods-only features (but do boast a 3.5mm headphone jack as well as an included 3.5mm audio cable), and don’t have an H-series chip. Instead, they employ a custom-designed Beats chip to allow for improved cross-platform compatibility with both Apple and Android devices.

Multi-user audio sharing has crossed that barrier, however, with the latest firmware now allowing Beats Studio Pro users to share their device’s audio with other Beats Studio Pro, AirPods, or other devices that support Apple’s audio sharing feature.

To use audio sharing with your Beats Studio Pro, simply tap on the Share Audio option in the AirPlay audio panel that can be accessed from the Control Center. The same menu is also available right on the Lock Screen when there’s audio playing. Tapping on Share Audio will walk you through simultaneously streaming the currently playing audio to other headphones.

Beats Studio Pro users will only see the Share Audio option if they’re on the latest firmware — version 2C301. Apple’s Beats and AirPods offerings automatically download and install available firmware updates, but you can check your current firmware version by navigating to Settings > Bluetooth and tapping on the Info button next to your Beats Studio Pro.