How do I stream audio from Windows to Android?

Streaming audio from your Windows PC to an Android device allows you to play music, podcasts, audiobooks, and other audio content wirelessly. With the right software and settings, you can use your Android phone or tablet as a set of wireless speakers to listen to audio playing on your computer from anywhere within range of your WiFi network.

In this guide, we’ll walk through the complete process for setting up audio streaming from a Windows PC to an Android device. We’ll cover compatible devices and software, how to enable streaming on Windows and install an app on Android, connecting devices on the same network, selecting an audio source in Windows, starting the streaming, listening on Android, adjusting settings, and troubleshooting issues.

Compatible Devices and Software

To stream audio from Windows to Android, both devices need to support streaming over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. For Windows devices, Windows 10 is recommended as it has built-in support for streaming media. Android devices need to be running Android 5.0 or higher and have support for wireless technologies like Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0+ or Miracast.

On the Windows side, any Windows 10 PC or laptop will work. For Android, most flagship devices from the past several years should be compatible, including phones and tablets from Samsung, Google, LG, Motorola and more. Make sure your Android device is updated to the latest OS version for best compatibility.

For software, Windows 10 has wireless display technology built-in that makes streaming easy. On Android, you’ll need an app like AirScreen installed to receive the streamed audio.

Enable Streaming on Windows

To enable audio streaming from your Windows PC to an Android device, you first need to turn on media streaming in your Windows settings. According to an article on Microsoft Answers (https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/media-streaming-options-is-missing-from-control/baff7ec1-40a3-4c32-be21-0324cbb351ee), here are the steps:

Launch Windows Media Player on your Windows PC.
Click on the Stream menu option and select Turn on media streaming.
In the window that pops up, click the Turn on media streaming button.

This will enable streaming from your Windows device so you can select audio files and sources to stream to your Android device over the local network.

Install App on Android

To receive the streamed audio from your Windows computer onto your Android device, you’ll need to install an app like AudioRelay or SoundWire on your Android device. These apps allow your Android phone or tablet to act as a speaker system for your Windows PC.

AudioRelay is an app specifically designed for streaming audio between devices. Once installed on your Android device from the Google Play Store, it can receive a realtime audio feed from your Windows PC over WiFi. The app features low-latency streaming and automatic discovery of compatible devices on your local network.

SoundWire is another good option, providing multi-room streaming so you can play the audio on multiple Android devices simultaneously. SoundWire sets up a direct WiFi link between your Windows PC and Android device(s) for streaming.

Connect Devices on Network

In order for streaming to work properly, your Windows PC and Android device need to be connected to the same WiFi network. Here are the steps to ensure they are on the same network:

On your Windows PC, click on the WiFi icon in the system tray to view the name of the WiFi network you are connected to.

On your Android device, go to Settings -> Wi-Fi and connect to the same WiFi network that your Windows PC is connected to.
Make sure that both devices display as being connected to the same WiFi SSID. For example, if your WiFi name is “MyHomeNetwork”, you should see that SSID displayed as the active connection on Windows and Android.
Test connectivity by opening a browser on Android and navigating to your router’s IP address. This verifies that your Android device can reach devices on the local network.

Once your Windows and Android device show as being on the same network, audio streaming between them should work properly over your WiFi connection at home.

Select Audio Source in Windows

To stream audio from your Windows PC, you first need to select the audio source you want to broadcast. This can be an individual audio file, a media player, or your entire desktop audio output.

To select an individual audio file like an MP3 or WAV file, simply open it in a media player app like Windows Media Player, VLC, or Groove Music. The audio from this app will be streamed.

To stream audio from a web browser or another app, open the app and start playing audio. The app’s audio output will be included in the stream.

To stream your entire desktop audio output including system sounds, you need to select “Stereo Mix” or “What You Hear” as the audio source in your streaming software. This will capture all audio playing on your Windows PC and stream it.

The specific steps to select “Stereo Mix” vary by streaming software. In OBS, go to Settings > Audio and select Stereo Mix as an Audio Input Source.¹ With Icecast, select Stereo Mix as the audio source in the broadcast configuration.

Selecting the right audio source is crucial for capturing exactly the audio content you want to stream from your Windows PC to another device.

Start Streaming

To begin streaming audio from your Windows PC to your Android device, you first need to select the audio source in Windows that you want to stream:

1. In Windows, open the Sound control panel by right clicking the speaker icon in the system tray and selecting Sounds.

2. Go to the Playback tab and select the audio source you want to stream, such as your speakers or headphones.

3. Click the Set Default button to set this audio device as your default playback device in Windows.

Now when you play any audio in Windows, such as music or videos, it will play through this selected audio source and can be streamed to your Android device.

Once you have your desired audio source selected in Windows, you can open your streaming app on your Android device and connect to your Windows PC to start receiving the streamed audio.

Listen on Android

Once the connection is established between your Windows device and Android device, you can listen to the streamed audio on your Android.

To do this, go to the streaming app you have installed on your Android, such as AudioRelay. Open the app and go to the audio sources or streaming section. In general, the app will detect the audio being streamed from your Windows device and show it as an available source.

Select or tap on that audio source and it will begin playing through your Android device’s speakers or headphones. You should be able to listen to the audio from your Windows PC, allowing you to play music, podcasts, videos, or other audio content on your Android.

Some streaming apps like AudioRelay may have buffering controls or an equalizer to adjust the sound quality and streaming performance.

Adjust Settings

Some key settings can be tweaked to help optimize performance when streaming audio from Windows to Android. For example, adjusting your Android device’s developer options to enable “Disable USB audio routing” and “Force high-performance audio” can help reduce latency and improve sound quality (source).

On the Windows side, going into Sound settings and reducing the default format and sample rate for playback and recording devices can also help – 44.1 kHz, 16 bit, stereo is a good setting to try for music streaming (source). This lightens the data load.

You can also try adjusting WiFi settings if streaming over network – choosing the 5GHz band instead of 2.4GHz can provide lower interference and latency. Setting audio applications in Windows to “high priority” in Task Manager can also allocate more resources.

Experiment with these tweaks to find the right balance of latency, sound quality and reliability when streaming from your Windows PC to Android device.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues streaming audio from Windows to your Android device, there are some common fixes to try:

On Windows, go to Start > Settings > Bluetooth and remove the Android device. Then try pairing again (Microsoft).
Check that the volume is not muted and is set to an audible level on both devices.

Make sure Bluetooth is enabled on both the Windows PC and Android device.
If using WiFi instead of Bluetooth, connect both devices to the same wireless network.
Update Bluetooth and audio drivers in Windows Device Manager.

Restart both the Windows PC and Android device.
As a last resort, reset network settings on the Android device.

If issues persist after trying these troubleshooting steps, check with the device manufacturers for additional support.