Can I play my PC audio through my phone?

Playing your PC audio through your phone means streaming the sounds coming from your computer, such as music, videos, games, etc., over WiFi or USB so you can hear them through your phone’s speakers or headphones. This allows you to listen privately without disturbing others or to continue listening while away from your computer.

There are a few main methods for streaming your PC audio to your phone:

Bluetooth – Pair your phone and computer for wireless audio streaming.

USB Tethering – Use an USB cable to stream audio.
Remote desktop apps – Cast your computer’s audio and screen to your phone.
DLNA – Stream over local network to DLNA compliant devices.

Apps – Use third-party apps like AudioRelay or Soundwire.

This content will provide an overview of the different methods, with insights on the pros and cons of each to help choose the right option.

Bluetooth Audio Streaming

You can wirelessly stream audio from your PC to a smartphone by pairing the devices via Bluetooth. To do this, place your phone into pairing mode and then activate Bluetooth on your PC and select add a device. Follow the on-screen prompts to successfully pair the devices. Once connected, you will be able to set your phone as an output device for your PC audio.

Though convenient, Bluetooth audio streaming comes with some potential downsides. Bluetooth does introduce some latency, meaning there may be a slight delay between the video on your PC and the audio on your phone. The latency can even result in lip syncing issues, which is very noticeble and distracting (1). The good news is that most streaming services and video players have built-in audio delay settings to help compensate for Bluetooth lag. Just adjust the audio delay slider until the video and audio sync up correctly. Audio quality over Bluetooth can also potentially suffer from data compression, though most newer Bluetooth versions (4.0 and above) have improved bandwidth and use better encoding to limit quality loss.

(1) https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/ugrsea/lets_talk_about_the_audio_latency_on_bluetooth/

Chromecast

One way to play PC audio through your phone is by using a Chromecast device. The Chromecast allows you to wirelessly “cast” audio from your computer to another device like a TV or speakers. Here’s how it works:

On your Windows or Mac computer, open the Chrome browser. Navigate to the webpage containing the audio you want to cast. Right click on the webpage and select “Cast.” This will bring up a list of available Chromecast devices on your network. Select the device you want to cast to and the audio will begin playing from that device. So for example, you could cast audio from your computer to a smart TV or wireless speaker system.

One limitation with standard Chromecasting is that it only works for audio coming from webpages through the Chrome browser. To cast all system audio from your computer, you need to install a third party Chromecast audio streaming app like Chromecast Audio Stream for Windows.

USB Tethering

USB tethering allows you to connect your phone to your PC via a USB cable and route audio from your PC to your phone’s speakers or headphones. This can be useful if you want to listen to music, videos, games, or other audio from your computer using your phone.

To enable USB tethering for audio:

Connect your Android phone to your PC using a USB cable.
On your phone, enable USB tethering in the network settings or connections menu. This may be labeled “USB internet sharing” or something similar on some devices.

On your PC, set the connected phone as the default audio output device. The phone may show up as something like “USB Audio Device” in your sound settings.
Any audio played on your PC will now be routed to your phone. You can listen using the phone’s built-in speaker or by plugging headphones into your phone.

Apps like AudioRelay can make this process simpler by automatically handling the audio routing when USB tethering is enabled between a phone and PC.

Remote Desktop Apps

One way to stream your PC audio through your phone is by using remote desktop apps. These apps allow you to remotely control your computer from your phone, opening up the ability to play music or other audio from your PC which is then routed through your phone’s speakers or headphones.

Popular remote desktop apps like Chrome Remote Desktop, AnyDesk, TeamViewer, and Parsec have the capability to stream computer audio in real time. This enables full control of your PC’s audio from your phone. The audio quality depends on the speed of your network connection.

To use remote desktop apps for PC audio streaming:

Install the remote desktop app on both your computer and phone
Enable audio redirection in the app settings on your computer
Connect your phone to your computer over the same WiFi network

Launch a music player or other audio source on your computer
The audio will now play from your phone’s speaker or headphones

The main benefit of this method is being able to fully control your computer’s audio output from your phone. Just be aware that latency and audio quality depends on your network speed.

DLNA Streaming

DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) allows you to stream media between devices on your local network. To stream audio from your PC to your phone using DLNA, you’ll need to set up a DLNA server on your computer and a DLNA client app on your phone.¹

On Windows 10, you can use the built-in media streaming feature to create a DLNA server. Go to Settings > Devices > Connected devices > Media streaming and turn on “Allow DLNA devices to play my media”. This will allow your phone to discover and play media from your PC over the local network.

On your Android phone, you’ll need to install a DLNA client app like BubbleUPnP, AllConnect, or Skifta to access your PC’s media library and stream audio. Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network, open the app and select your PC from the list of available servers.² You can then browse and play music stored on your computer right from your phone.

With DLNA, there is no need to transfer media between devices. As long as both your PC and phone are on the same network, you can access and stream audio seamlessly. Quality and latency will depend on your network strength.

AirPlay

AirPlay allows you to wirelessly stream audio, video, and screen content from your Windows PC to iPhone (or other iOS devices). With AirPlay, you can play the audio from your PC through your iPhone’s speakers. Here’s how to set up AirPlay streaming on Windows:

First, you’ll need to download and install an AirPlay receiver app on your Windows PC, such as AirServer.https://www.imyfone.com/mirror-tips/airplay-windows-10/ This will enable AirPlay compatibility on your Windows machine.

Next, on your iPhone, open Control Center and tap on Screen Mirroring. This will scan for AirPlay compatible devices on your network. Select your Windows PC to connect it.

Now any audio playing on your PC will be streamed to your iPhone. You can control the audio playback using your iPhone’s built-in playback controls. The audio will be routed through your iPhone’s speakers or headphones connected to it.

With AirPlay, you can seamlessly play your PC’s audio on your iPhone without any wires or connectivity issues. It provides a quick and easy way to listen to your computer’s audio anywhere within range of your WiFi network.

Third-Party Apps

There are several third-party apps that allow you to stream audio from your PC to your phone. Some popular options include:

Audials One – This app lets you stream any audio playing on your PC over WiFi to your phone. It works across iOS, Android, and Windows devices. You need to install the Audials app on both your computer and phone.
Airfoil – Allows you to send audio from your Mac or PC to AirPlay devices, Bluetooth speakers, and more. There is an Airfoil Satellite app for iOS and Android to receive the audio.

AudioRelay – This free app streams stereo audio over WiFi between PC and mobile. It works across platforms.
WO Mic – Turns your Android device into a microphone that can send audio to your computer. Can be used to stream audio playback on phone to PC.

These apps create their own local streaming solution between your devices. Most offer cross-platform support so you can stream audio from a Windows PC to an iPhone for example. They provide more flexibility than built-in options.

Choosing the Right Method

When deciding how to stream audio from your PC to your phone, there are a few key factors to consider in order to choose the right method for your needs:

Bluetooth streaming offers convenience and portability, allowing you to move around while listening. However, it can have latency issues and compressed audio quality compared to wired options (Source).

Chromecast provides high quality audio streaming over WiFi with minimal latency. But it requires purchasing additional hardware and only works for casting supported apps, not system-wide audio (Source).

USB tethering gives you wired quality audio and low latency. Though you are physically tethered to your PC and need to have it turned on. This wired connection can also drain your phone’s battery faster.

Remote desktop apps let you fully control your PC audio from your phone screen. But this can be a bulky and high latency solution not ideal for music streaming.

DLNA streaming works well for local network streaming to supported devices. But setup can be tricky and audio compatibility is app dependent.

AirPlay is great for iOS users streaming audio over WiFi, but requires an Apple ecosystem. Quality and latency is dependent on your network strength.

Third party apps like SoundWire offer cross-platform audio streaming with low latency. But they can lack polish and reliability compared to first-party options.

Overall, Bluetooth and Chromecast provide the best combination of mobility, audio quality, and ease of use for most users. Evaluate your priorities like sound quality, mobility, and hardware requirements to decide which method best suits your needs.

Conclusion

There are several ways to play audio from your PC through your phone. The easiest methods are to use Bluetooth or Chromecast which allow you to directly stream the audio over a wireless connection. For more advanced options, you can use USB tethering, remote desktop apps, DLNA streaming or Airplay.

The best choice depends on your specific needs and setup. Bluetooth and Chromecast offer the simplest solutions that work with minimal effort. USB tethering gives you more control and lower latency but requires a direct wired connection. Remote desktop apps let you fully control your PC but have more latency. DLNA and Airplay allow streaming over WiFi but require compatible hardware and software.

Overall, Bluetooth is recommended for most users looking for an easy way to play their PC audio on a phone. For advanced audio streaming with more configuration options, using a dedicated third-party app is advised. With the various methods available, you should be able to find a solution that works seamlessly for your particular phone and PC setup.