14 DAY TRIAL // The next iPhone generation, currently referred to by many as iPhone 11, could introduce Dual Bluetooth Audio, a feature that would allow the smartphone to output audio to two separate devices at the same time.
Dual Bluetooth Audio isn’t a new feature, and it’s been around for several years already on Android devices, yet Apple has restricted the use of Bluetooth audio to just a single profile on the iPhone up to this point.
The 2019 iPhone could thus introduce a major change in this regard, making it possible for the iPhone to send audio via Bluetooth simultaneously to two different devices.
While you can actually connect more than one device to an iPhone using Bluetooth, the audio output is limited to just one.
iPhone 11 due in September
Japanese site Macotakara, which has a mixed track on Apple scoops so far, suggests users would be allowed to choose the output for each paired device. While it’s not yet clear if Apple wants to implement per-app controls for this purpose, it looks like the company has several scenarios in mind when such a feature would come in handy, and one of them concerns CarPlay.
An iPhone connected to the infotainment system of a car could send audio like navigation through the vehicle’s audio system, while calls, for instance, can be routed through connected headphones.
Certainly, there’s more to discover about how Apple envisions Dual Bluetooth Audio on the iPhone 11, but if this feature indeed comes to the device, it’s without a doubt a welcome addition.
The iPhone 11 lineup will include three different models, all of them successors to the current models already on the market. iPhone XR itself will receive a bunch of upgrades, including a dual-camera system and a RAM boost. The top-of-the-range iPhone XS Max could also come with three cameras on the back.