278labs / AirExtend

AirExtend · by 278labs

What AirExtend is for.

Short scenarios, from smart glasses on a Mac to a silent TV in a gym. Each one works on your own Wi-Fi, with no cloud and no account.

AirExtend home For conferences

Headsets, glasses and earbuds

Ray-Ban Meta and other smart glasses with a Mac
Keep the glasses paired with your phone as they are. In Communicator mode the phone plays the Mac’s sound and passes it to the glasses, so nothing is re-paired and the glasses stay on the phone. Bluetooth adds about 120 to 250 ms.
AirPods and Bluetooth earbuds on a Mac, still connected to the iPhone
The earbuds never switch away from the phone. The Mac’s sound reaches them through the phone over Wi-Fi.
Phone as the Mac’s microphone
The phone’s microphone shows up on the Mac as AirExtend Mic. Choose it in Zoom, FaceTime, Teams, Meet, Discord or a recorder.
Calls on the Mac from across the room
Take the call with earphones on the phone while the Mac stays on the desk. The Mac hears the phone’s microphone and plays into the phone.
Wired earphones for the lowest delay
Plug wired earphones into the phone. There is no Bluetooth delay, so the Mac’s sound arrives in about 20 ms plus the phone’s own output.
Hearing devices that pair with the phone
Hearing aids and sound processors that take sound from the phone receive the Mac’s sound through it, at the volume you set on the phone. AirExtend is not a certified assistive listening system.
Bone-conduction and sport headsets
Anything the phone can play to works as a Mac headset, with the Mac out of reach.

Home and night

Watch a film at night without disturbing the neighbours
Play the film on the Mac and listen on headphones plugged into the phone, or watch the Mac’s screen on the phone, where picture and sound stay in step. The room stays silent.
One person sleeps, one watches
The sound goes to the watcher’s headphones through the phone. The Mac’s speakers are not used.
Listen in another room
Leave the Mac where it is and hear its sound in the kitchen, the garden or the next room on a phone or tablet.
Whole-flat sound from phones, tablets and old devices
Old iPads, phones and tablets become extra speakers. In Broadcast mode they all play the same moment, so there is no echo between rooms.
House party with phones as speakers
Everyone opens the address and plays. Broadcast keeps the phones in step and a per-device correction fixes the odd one out.
Mac on the TV without an HDMI cable
Open the address in the TV’s browser, or use the TV app, and the Mac’s screen and sound appear on the TV. The next Mac update adds a 16:9 screen for TVs.
Sound on Android and Windows
Android phones, Windows PCs and Chromebooks play the Mac’s sound in a browser. No app is needed.
Workout and chores
Play a workout video on the Mac and listen on earbuds anywhere in the flat on the same Wi-Fi.
No router, no problem
On a train, in a hotel or at a rental, share the phone’s hotspot with the Mac, or use USB tethering. AirExtend only needs the devices to be on one local network.

Work and study

Meetings on your own headphones in an open office
Hear the Mac’s meeting sound on earphones through the phone, and speak into the phone’s microphone.
Presentations with sound
Present from the Mac. Anyone in the room opens the address and hears the video’s sound on their own phone, in sync, at their own volume.
Lectures and classrooms
Students open the address on a phone or laptop and hear the lesson, even from the back. Open access removes the pairing step.
Music and audio work away from the desk
Listen to a mix in the next room in Music mode, lossless with a steady buffer. A 10-band equalizer sits on the phone.
Read the Mac’s screen on a phone
Send the whole screen, or only the apps you pick, to the phone with the sound in step. Full screen and Picture in Picture on iPhone.
Demos and support
Show a Mac app to someone in the next room on their own phone, with sound.

Venues, shops and events

Silent TVs in gyms, bars and waiting rooms
The Mac plays the channel and visitors listen on their own phone and earbuds. The compact AAC stream is meant for many listeners. Check the licence for public showing of the content.
Conference halls and overflow rooms
One audio and video stream for everyone on the venue Wi-Fi, no receivers to hand out. See the conference page.
Museum and gallery audio guides
The Mac plays the commentary and visitors listen on their own phones, with no rented receivers to charge and collect.
Worship and community halls
Send the sermon or talk to people in an overflow room, a crying room or the garden.
Silent parties and small silent discos
Guests listen on their own headphones. The street stays quiet.
Shops, showrooms and trade-show stands
Demo videos with sound for one visitor at a time, without turning the stand into a noisy one.
Accessibility at small events
A person who needs more volume or a quieter room listens on their own headset. It supplements a hearing loop and does not replace a certified one.

Questions

The sound is choppy on a weak Wi-Fi network. What helps?

On the listener’s page choose Low data (AAC, 128 kb/s) or WebRTC (Opus), which survives lost packets and adapts to the link. Move closer to the router or use USB tethering if you can. Music mode adds a bigger buffer when delay does not matter.

How do I connect Ray-Ban Meta glasses to a MacBook without disconnecting them from my iPhone?

Leave the glasses paired with the iPhone and install AirExtend on the Mac. In Communicator mode the iPhone plays the Mac’s sound and passes it on to the glasses. The Mac never pairs with the glasses. Bluetooth adds about 120 to 250 ms, which suits music, calls and podcasts; for video, enter that delay in Broadcast mode or watch the Mac’s screen on the phone.

Can AirPods work with a Mac and an iPhone at the same time?

Yes through AirExtend. The AirPods stay connected to the iPhone, and the iPhone plays the Mac’s sound over Wi-Fi. The phone’s microphone comes back to the Mac as AirExtend Mic.

How can I watch a film at night without waking anyone?

Play it on the Mac and listen on headphones through a phone, with wired earphones for the lowest delay. Or send the Mac’s screen to the phone: picture and sound are kept in step there. The Mac’s speakers stay off.

Can I use my phone as a microphone for the Mac?

Yes. In Communicator mode the phone’s microphone appears on the Mac as an input called AirExtend Mic. Pick it in any app that records or calls.

Can I play my Mac’s sound on several phones at once, in sync?

Yes. Broadcast mode adds one shared delay of 0.3 to 60 seconds, and every phone, tablet and TV plays the same moment. Auto-sync measures each device with the Mac’s microphone and corrects it.

Does it work on Android, Windows and smart TVs?

Any current browser can play the Mac’s sound and show its screen, including Android, Windows and TV browsers. Android TV and LG webOS apps are being tested and need the next Mac update.

Does it work without internet?

Yes. Everything stays on the local network. A router without internet, a phone hotspot or USB tethering is enough.

Is it an AirPlay alternative?

It does a different job: AirPlay sends sound to one speaker or TV, while AirExtend sends it to any number of phones, tablets, TVs and browsers, in sync if you want, and brings the phone’s microphone back.

Is there a delay with Bluetooth headphones?

Bluetooth adds 120 to 250 ms of its own, which no app can remove. AirExtend adds about 20 ms in Communicator mode. In Broadcast mode you can enter the Bluetooth delay for that device so that it lines up with the others.

AirExtend is an independent app by 278labs. It is not made, sponsored or endorsed by Apple, Meta, EssilorLuxottica, Ray-Ban, LG, Google or any other brand named here. Names are used only to say what works with what. Apple, Mac, MacBook, iPhone, iPad, AirPods and AirPlay are trademarks of Apple Inc.; Ray-Ban and Meta are trademarks of their owners; webOS and LG are trademarks of LG Electronics.