Requirements
BlueBee is free for now and its mobile release candidate is being tested. It uses one shared room timeline and each listener’s own output device.
- A supported BlueBee host and one or more listener devices.
- A reliable internet connection on each device. A room can include different Wi-Fi or mobile-data connections.
- Each listener’s own headphones or speaker connected to their own device.
- Explicit ReplayKit consent on an iPhone/iPad host or MediaProjection consent on an Android host, and a source app that permits audio capture.
- For browser listening, an explicit audio gesture and a foreground page. Native iOS is the supported Day-1 iPhone path.
This page does not announce a store download or approval. Mac distribution is outside this release. Live PCM can consume roughly 0.7–0.95 GB per listener-hour; check your data allowance before using cellular.
Joining a room
- Connect your headphones or select the intended speaker. The public app already knows its relay.
- Ask the host for the current room code or QR invite.
- Choose Join a Room, then scan the QR code or enter the six-character code.
- In a browser, tap Join Room and Enable audio when offered. A QR link alone cannot grant audio permission.
Room codes are intended for invited listeners. Do not post an active code publicly. The current default is eight participants, including the host.
Connection help
If the host or room cannot be reached:
- check internet access on the host and affected listener;
- check whether a VPN, guest network or firewall interrupts long-lived connections;
- confirm the current room code and allow automatic recovery after an interruption; and
- ask for a new code if the host ended the old room and created another.
Local Network permission applies to a local development relay or available local helper; it does not mean every public-room listener must share the same Wi-Fi. BlueBee does not claim a fixed distance.
Headphones and timing
BlueBee synchronises participant devices; it does not connect one phone directly to many Bluetooth headsets. Pair each person’s headphones with their own phone or tablet.
Different wired, built-in and Bluetooth outputs can add different amounts of delay. Use the room’s sync adjustment to move the current listener earlier or later by ear, then save the setting for that output route. A reported device latency is only an estimate and does not replace an audible check.
The source app may already have played through the host before BlueBee receives its capture. More listener buffering cannot align that immediate source speaker. Use receiver devices as the synchronized audible outputs. Check host mute-with-capture behaviour for the actual source and operating system.
Connection interruptions
If the room shows Connection interrupted, keep the room open while network reachability returns. Use Catch me up or Try again when offered so the device rejoins the current room timeline. A deliberate Leave ends the session on that device.
If an output route changes or becomes silent, confirm the intended headphones or speaker are selected, then use the room’s explicit re-sync control. Restarting the room should be a later troubleshooting step, because it creates a new room code.
In a browser, return to the page and tap Enable audio if it is suspended. Foreground Safari may work after a user gesture, but iOS can suspend background pages. Use native iOS for the supported iPhone experience.
Media limits
Mobile hosting uses iOS ReplayKit or Android MediaProjection and playback capture. Start sharing deliberately, then play an unprotected source that permits capture. System consent does not guarantee every app will supply audio. Protected media may mute or block capture, and BlueBee does not bypass that protection.
BlueBee forwards audio only. If a source is silent, try a known permitted source, direct audio link or built-in test signal. Camera access is optional: join by code if denied, or enable Camera in system Settings before scanning again. Android requires audio-recording permission for playback capture; BlueBee reads app playback rather than microphone sound. Current calibration is manual and acoustic measurements use a separate recording tool.
Information to include with a support request
- BlueBee version/build and device model.
- Operating-system version for the host and affected listener.
- Whether the device was hosting or joining.
- Output route type: built-in, wired or Bluetooth.
- Exact on-screen error and whether Catch me up was offered.
- Whether each device used Wi-Fi or cellular, and whether either connection changed.
- Whether the issue affected joining, silence, repeated drop-outs or audible timing.
Do not send active room codes, recovery tokens, passwords, private media links or screenshots containing private network details. Review a Diagnostics export before sharing it. Read the BlueBee privacy notice for the draft data-flow description.