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Beta Test the New Airfoil Speakers for Android
Posted By Paul Kafasis on October 1st, 2012
Update (December 11th, 2012): Airfoil Speakers for Android 1.0 has officially shipped! Get more information here.
Our streaming audio tool Airfoil lets you play audio from any Mac or Windows machine, all around the house. Airfoil Speakers is a set of companion apps which can turn a device into an audio receiver. By coupling Airfoil and Airfoil Speakers, you can send audio from a Mac or Windows machine to other computers running Mac OS X, Windows, or Linux, as well as to iPhones, iPads, and iPods Touch.
But how about sending audio to Android devices? Until now, we haven’t offered support for that. That changes today, as we’ve now got a public beta of Airfoil Speakers for Android:
Airfoil Speakers running on Android
Using Airfoil and Airfoil Speakers for Android, you’ll now be able to send any audio from your Mac or PC to your Android devices. Nice!
Testing
This release is a beta, and while it works well in our testing, it is not a final 1.0. We want to get it out to users, so you can kick the tires. So, how do you test Airfoil Speakers for Android? Easy – just visit this page on your Android device and tap this icon to install it:
Link removed – check out the official release!
You will need to make sure you have your device configured to allow for third-party installation. You can do this in the device’s Settings. From there, go to Applications and activate the “Unknown Sources” checkbox. Once that’s turned on, you’ll be able to tap the link above on your device to install the app.
Known Issues & Feedback
This beta isn’t perfect. Here’s a list of known issues:
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Due to issues with the operating system itself, Airfoil Speakers for Android will not always play in sync with other AirPlay receivers. We’re still working on this, but at this time you can manually adjust the delay using the slider in Settings. If you tweak this and find a stable value, please report in with your device type and Android version, along with that ideal latency value.
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Various aesthetic items are not final, and subject to change.
We want to hear about other issues though. To submit feedback, just tap the button in the in-app Airfoil Speakers menu.
Q & A
There are likely to be a few questions, so let’s offer a quick Q&A up front.
What versions of Android are supported?
This public beta should support Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and higher.
Can Airfoil Speakers for Android receive audio directly from iOS or iTunes?
This isn’t possible during the beta. For now, sending audio to Airfoil Speakers for Android requires Airfoil for Mac or Airfoil for Windows.
Will Airfoil Speakers for Android offer remote control?
We’ll be looking at this for a future version.
Will there be an Airfoil for Android too?
At this point, we have no current plans for Airfoil for Android (that is, an application which would send audio from Android out to AirPlay receivers). Android does not currently provide the level of access needed to create this. We’ll see what happens in the future, however.
I have a different question.
Get in touch via email.
Next Steps
We’ll be monitoring feedback on this public beta, and improving the app. We hope to ship the official 1.0 before the end of the year. If you’re interested though, there’s little downside to trying and using the beta, so grab it now!
