What is the app that plays the same song on two phones?
With the rise of smartphones and wireless technology, a new category of apps has emerged that allows users to sync music playback between multiple devices. The concept is simple – you connect two or more phones over WiFi or Bluetooth, and play audio from one device that gets streamed in perfect sync to the others. This allows you to instantly turn your phone and your friend’s phones into a multi-channel sound system, with the music playback perfectly synchronized.
One app that offers this music syncing capability is SoundSeeder. SoundSeeder allows users to connect multiple iOS and Android devices together to stream music, videos, and other audio in perfect sync. With SoundSeeder, you can take just two phones and double the volume and sound quality instantly.
What is SoundSeeder?
SoundSeeder is an app developed by the company Mixed Media Labs that allows users to sync music playback across multiple devices. It was first launched in 2015 and is currently available for both iOS and Android.
With SoundSeeder, you can connect phones together over WiFi and listen to the same songs perfectly synced up. This allows groups of people to enjoy music together without needing speakers or passing around earbuds.
How SoundSeeder Syncs Music
SoundSeeder uses Bluetooth to connect Android and iOS devices together into an ad-hoc mesh network to sync music playback. When one device starts playing a song, SoundSeeder sends the audio stream over Bluetooth to the other connected devices. It syncs the playback position in real-time so the audio stays perfectly in sync across all the devices.
This allows you to “seed” the music from one device to many others, creating a multi-speaker system on the fly without the need for Wifi or internet connectivity. The Bluetooth syncing happens directly between devices so there is near zero latency. As long as all devices are within Bluetooth range of one another, the music will stay in perfect sync.
SoundSeeder allows users to sync up to 6 devices simultaneously for music streaming. To connect additional devices, you simply open the SoundSeeder app and tap on the device you want to add. The app handles device discovery and connecting new nodes into the mesh network automatically.
Overall, SoundSeeder’s proprietary Bluetooth mesh networking and real-time audio syncing allows you to turn any number of phones or tablets into a multi-speaker system to enhance the listening experience and share music with friends.
Sources:
SoundSeeder Setup
Setting up SoundSeeder is straightforward, but involves a few key steps. To start, users need to download the SoundSeeder app onto all devices they want to connect – this can include smartphones, tablets, laptops, and more. The app is available for both iOS and Android. Once installed on each device, the next step is ensuring Bluetooth is enabled on all devices, as SoundSeeder uses Bluetooth to sync the audio.
After this, one device needs to become the “Host” and create a new SoundSeeder session. The user taps the “Start Hosting” button in the app to do this. Other users then need to tap “Join Session” on their device’s app and select the session the Host created. This connects all the devices together through the Host. With the devices connected over Bluetooth, the Host can then select and play audio files or music tracks, which will sync and play simultaneously to the Speakers.
Overall, setting up SoundSeeder requires downloading the app, turning on Bluetooth, designating a Host, and having the other users join the Host’s session. Once these steps are completed, the synced music playback can begin.
SoundSeeder Features
SoundSeeder has several features that make it stand out as a wireless multi-speaker audio player. One of the key features is the ability to sync music playback across multiple devices like phones, tablets, and laptops. The SoundSeeder app connects all the devices over WiFi so that the music plays simultaneously with no delay between devices. This allows you to extend the sound from a small phone speaker to multiple larger speakers for a surround sound effect.
SoundSeeder can sync an unlimited number of devices, whether they are iOS, Android, Windows, Mac or Linux. Each device runs the SoundSeeder app, which streams the audio from one main device to the others. You simply select the main device that will act as the audio source. This makes SoundSeeder flexible for various setups and scenarios.
Another useful feature is the ability to individually adjust the volume on each connected device. You can have louder volume on devices farther away from you and lower volume on closer devices. This allows you to optimize the sound balance across all speakers. The SoundSeeder app provides individual device volume controls to tailor levels as needed.
With its multi-device syncing, platform support, and granular audio controls, SoundSeeder delivers robust features for wirelessly playing music on phones, tablets and laptops in unison. (https://soundseeder.com/features/)
Sound Quality
The sound quality when using SoundSeeder depends heavily on the quality of the original audio source file or stream being played. High bitrate lossless audio files will provide better sound quality than lower bitrate compressed audio files like MP3s. Using a music streaming service like Spotify that streams at 320kbps will also provide better quality than lower bitrate streaming services.
Since SoundSeeder relies on Bluetooth to sync the audio between devices, the Bluetooth connection can impact sound quality, especially over longer distances. The maximum range for Bluetooth is around 30 feet, so having devices further apart than that may result in choppy audio or sync issues. Bluetooth audio compression can also slightly degrade sound quality compared to a direct wired connection. Using Bluetooth 5.0 can help improve quality and range compared to older versions of Bluetooth.
Overall, SoundSeeder provides reasonably good sound quality for casual listening and syncing music between nearby devices. But audiophiles seeking the highest fidelity listening experience may want to use a different wired multi-room audio solution.
Limitations
SoundSeeder has some limitations that users should be aware of before using the app. According to SoundSeeder’s FAQ page (https://soundseeder.com/help/), the app relies on Bluetooth to sync music between devices. This means the devices need to be within Bluetooth range, which is typically around 30 feet. Trying to use SoundSeeder beyond this range will result in the music falling out of sync or disconnecting entirely.
In addition, SoundSeeder does not currently work across platforms. The app is available for both iOS and Android, but devices running different operating systems cannot connect to each other. For example, an iPhone cannot connect to an Android phone using SoundSeeder. This limits the ability to sync music between friends or family members who use different devices.
Overall, while SoundSeeder works well for syncing music between multiple devices of the same platform within Bluetooth range, its reliance on Bluetooth and single-platform connectivity are significant limitations to keep in mind.
Privacy
SoundSeeder requires users to create an account to use the app. This means it collects and stores data on users’ listening habits and music preferences (Privacy Policy – soundseeder.com). The app states it may share non-personal aggregated data with third parties. However, users can opt out of analytics tracking in the app settings.
While SoundSeeder collects listening data to personalize the experience, it claims not to share any personal user data without consent. The app also does not collect data from users under 13 years old. Overall, SoundSeeder seems transparent about its data collection practices, though users should understand it does monitor their listening behavior when using the app (Privacy Policy – soundseeder.com).
Cost
SoundSeeder offers both a free basic version and a paid premium version of the app. The free version allows users to sync music between devices, but has some limitations.
The free version of SoundSeeder limits you to syncing music between two devices at a time. To remove this limit and sync across more devices, you need to upgrade to the paid “Pro” version. The Pro version also unlocks advanced audio options like adjusting left/right balance and audio effects.
The premium Pro version of SoundSeeder costs $2.99 per month. This removes all limitations of the free version, allowing unlimited synced devices and access to all advanced audio options. With the Pro version, you can build large synced speaker setups or sync music across all your friend’s phones when listening together.
So in summary, SoundSeeder offers both a capable free version for basic use, as well as a premium $2.99/month Pro version to unlock advanced features. This gives flexibility for casual users or audio enthusiasts.
Conclusion
In summary, SoundSeeder is an app that allows users to sync music playback between two devices in real-time. It works by connecting the devices over WiFi and coordinating the music playback between them. This shared listening experience means you and a friend can enjoy the same songs perfectly in sync, even from across the room.
Some of the key benefits of SoundSeeder include being able to have a shared music listening experience, being able to control the playback from either device, and having high quality, in-sync audio. This makes it great for listening parties, sharing new music with friends, or just having your music be portable across multiple devices.
With its ability to sync music playback on two devices in real-time, SoundSeeder is perfect for house parties, outdoor gatherings, or any situation where you want to share music with others. Simply connect two phones or tablets via the app and you’ll be able to enjoy your playlists, podcasts or albums together in perfect harmony.