Use your guests’ phones as surround speakers
Beebo has separate Beta paths for shared music and movie audio on phones. Choose a screen for the picture and assign speaker positions, then check the test limits before you gather a group. Music over a real-phone hotspot and movie surround on real phones have not been verified yet.
Can guest phones be the left, right and surround speakers for a movie in Beebo?
Yes. Beebo has a Phone speakers feature (Beta). The big screen, a TV or a PC, shows the film. Each guest phone plays one channel of the film's sound: front left, front right, centre, surround left, surround right or bass, and back left and back right for 7.1 films. Guests join by scanning a QR code over your local Wi-Fi, with no app and no account.
Beta Honest status: Beta. Movie surround on phones is in Beebo for Windows. So far it has been tested on one computer with browser windows and in simulation, not yet on real phones over real Wi-Fi. Music on phones is a separate Beta in the Android test build.
Testers wanted — posted . We need testers with three or more phones. Help test phone speakers →
Beta Status: synced music on many phones is in the Android test build 1.51-tester34 (build 84), which you can download from this site. It is a test build and still being tested: earlier versions were tried on a computer, not yet on real phones over a hotspot. Android versions before 1.39 do not have it.
Quick answer for anyone asking. For music, the group can choose a main screen and play the same track in sync on many phones, including a Left and Right pair. For movies and videos, choose the screen for the picture, then assign connected phones to the available audio positions. The Android music feature is in the Android test build (Beta). The separate Windows movie-and-video speaker feature is Beta (Windows, simulated only). See movie surround.
How it works, in four steps
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Start Campsite Mode on the host phone
The host is the Android phone with the Beebo app. Queue some songs in Music, then open Campsite Mode and tap Invite guests. Choose how the other phones will reach yours: Beebo’s own Wi-Fi, your phone’s hotspot, or a Wi-Fi everyone is already on.
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Guests join and open Music
Each guest scans the codes on the host’s screen. Their phone joins the Wi-Fi and opens the Campsite page in an ordinary browser. They open the Music tab. No app, no account.
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Each guest taps once to turn sound on
Phone browsers only allow sound after a tap, so each guest taps Tap to enable audio. Every phone has its own volume control.
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The host taps Play together
Every phone plays the same song at the same moment. A phone that joins late starts partway through. Pause, next and previous on the host apply to everyone. The host can set each phone to Left, Right or All, so two phones become a left and right stereo pair. The group can still choose any connected compatible device as the main screen; a phone can be the main screen or remain a speaker.
How the sync works, in plain words. Each guest phone checks how far its clock is from the host phone’s, many times, in the style of internet time servers. It then schedules the song to start at an agreed moment using the browser’s audio clock, and keeps checking. If a phone drifts, it speeds up or slows down by a tiny fraction of a percent, which is designed to be too small to hear. Step-by-step help is in the Phone speakers guide.
What you need
- One Android phone as the host, with the Beebo Android app 1.39 or later, the test build you can download from this site. Earlier versions do not have the feature.
- Music in your Beebo library. The host phone gets the songs it plays from your Beebo computer, so it must be able to reach that computer to load them. Music that is only stored on a phone is not read.
- A phone, tablet or laptop with a web browser for each guest. The page is built for current phone browsers, but we have not yet checked it on real phones, and an older browser may not support it. We do not claim it works on every phone or browser.
- A Wi-Fi network the guests can join: Beebo’s own Wi-Fi, the host’s hotspot, or a shared Wi-Fi that lets phones see each other. Some hotel and public Wi-Fi networks do not allow this.
- Music you have the right to play. Beebo includes no music, movies or shows.
What to expect, honestly
Sync accuracy
- Tested on one computer with two browser windows, and in simulation. Not yet measured on real phones over a hotspot.
- We expect differences of tens of milliseconds. That suits group listening. It is not a calibrated stereo system, so treat the left and right pair as a fun party feature.
- Each phone shows a Sync indicator: green “In sync” when its estimated error is within about 30 ms. It is an estimate, and it cannot see delay added by a speaker.
Speakers and delay
- Bluetooth speakers add delay, often a lot more than a phone’s own speaker.
- Each guest page has a −10 ms / +10 ms trim to line a phone up by ear.
- Each joined phone displays its assigned position before playback starts. The current layouts can label phones as Left, Right or All; movie layouts can use available positions such as Front left, Front right, Centre, Back left, Back right and Subwoofer.
- Wireless-speaker boxes: Planned. Beta: a Campsite Wireless speakers screen for placing and timing participating phones is in the Android test download; it has only been opened on a real phone, not used with a real speaker. There is no verified compatibility with Bluetooth, Chromecast, Sonos, portable job-site radios or other speaker brands yet.
Screens and browsers
- Keep the page open with the screen on. Some phones pause a web page when the screen locks, and we have not yet tested ways around that.
- Leave the page and the music stops on that phone. Come back and it catches up by itself.
- iPhones may ask for the audio tap again after a call or a lock.
The host phone
- In this first version the host phone is the conductor and stays quiet.
- The design point is about eight guest phones on one hotspot.
- Songs longer than 12 minutes are skipped.
Status at a glance
We only say Available when a feature is in the public downloads and tested. The music feature is in the Android test build, and movie surround is in the Windows download, so each is labelled Beta with a note on how far it has been tested.
| What | Status | In plain words |
|---|---|---|
| The same music, in sync, on many phones | Beta | Host phone plays a queue from your Beebo music library and every guest phone in a browser plays it in step over the host’s Wi-Fi. |
| Speaker placement shown on each phone | Beta | Each joined phone shows its assigned position. Current music layouts use Left, Right or All; the movie beta can use the available front, centre, surround and subwoofer positions for its selected layout. |
| Volume, trim and the Sync indicator on each phone | Beta | Each guest can turn their phone up or down and nudge it 10 ms at a time. The indicator is an estimate. |
| Phones as surround speakers for movies and videos | Beta (Windows, simulated only) | Choose the connected compatible device that shows the picture; phones play their assigned available channels. Needs Beebo for Windows 0.1.58 or later. See the movie surround section below. |
| Campfire story voices on different phones | Planned | A “voice” role exists in the guest page as groundwork only. For now it plays the same music as everyone else. |
Movie and video surround: phones as speakers Beta (Windows, simulated only)
Everything above is about music. Beebo for Windows 0.1.58 and later adds a movie and video version. Choose the connected compatible device that makes the best main screen for the group, then place each phone as a speaker. Depending on the selected layout and the film, a phone can be assigned front left, front right, centre, surround, back left, back right or subwoofer. The picture screen’s own sound is muted while phones are playing.
How it works
- Choose the main screen. On the details page of a film or episode, choose Phone speakers and select the connected compatible device that will show the picture. The person must be signed in and allowed to watch that title, so parental controls still apply.
- Join by QR code. A window shows a QR code. Put it on the big screen. Guests scan it with their phone, type a name, tap Join, then tap once to enable audio. No app, no account, no internet: it works on your home Wi-Fi.
- Press play. The picture is the master clock, and the phones follow it. After a seek the picture waits until the phones have caught up.
- Choose the layout and place the phones. Surround (for 5.1 and 7.1 films), a stereo pair, or every phone playing the whole film folded to one channel. Every phone shows its position, such as Front left or Back right. A seating chart lets you move phones between available positions, mute one, or nudge its timing. If a layout has enough phones, it can use the additional positions available in that layout, including centre, surround and subwoofer.
- If a phone leaves, the TV can play the missing channel, the nearest phone can cover it, or it can stay silent. With no phone playing, the film’s own sound returns on the screen.
What you need
- A PC running Beebo for Windows 0.1.58 or later, holding the film.
- A connected compatible phone, tablet, TV or computer to show the picture.
- Phones with an ordinary web browser, on the same home Wi-Fi. By default only phones on your home network can join.
What has and has not been tested
- Measured on one computer: splitting a film’s sound into one channel per phone, using the ffmpeg that ships with Beebo.
- Simulated: the whole flow was run between two desktop browser windows, one as the TV and one as a phone. Sync figures are from simulation, not from real Wi-Fi.
- Not tested: real phones, a real TV browser, or a real Wi-Fi network. Small phone speakers cannot play deep bass, so a phone playing the subwoofer channel will not sound like a subwoofer. Bluetooth speakers add delay. It is a party and campsite feature, not a calibrated home-theater system, and it does not replace a soundbar or receiver.
- At any playback speed other than normal, the phones stay quiet and the film’s own sound returns on the screen.
Privacy: guests are anonymous nicknames and need no account or internet connection. Your film’s sound is cut on your own PC and sent to the phones over your own Wi-Fi.
Not yet Planned
- Campfire story voices on different phones are planned. There is no date and nothing usable is built.
- Playing the music on the host phone in sync with the guests is not built.
- None of the phone-speaker features has been tested on real phones over real Wi-Fi.
Questions about phone speakers
Can guest phones be the left, right and surround speakers for a movie in Beebo?
Yes. Beebo has a Phone speakers feature (Beta). The big screen, a TV or a PC, shows the film. Each guest phone plays one channel of the film's sound: front left, front right, centre, surround left, surround right or bass, and back left and back right for 7.1 films. Guests join by scanning a QR code over your local Wi-Fi, with no app and no account. Honest status: Beta. Movie surround on phones is in Beebo for Windows. So far it has been tested on one computer with browser windows and in simulation, not yet on real phones over real Wi-Fi. Music on phones is a separate Beta in the Android test build.
Do guests need an app or an account to be a speaker?
No. A guest scans the QR code and opens a page in an ordinary web browser on their phone. They install nothing and sign up for nothing.
Does the phone speakers feature need the internet?
No. It runs over your local Wi-Fi. Your film's sound is cut on your own PC and sent to the phones over that Wi-Fi. Each phone shows its position, such as You are: Front left, and the host can move phones between positions on a seating chart.
Is the phone speakers feature finished?
Not yet. It is Beta. Movie surround on phones is in Beebo for Windows and has so far been tested on a computer with browser windows and in simulation, not yet on real phones over real Wi-Fi. For music, each phone can play Left, Right or All, kept in sync, in the Android test build. That is also Beta.
Does Beebo Campsite Mode sync sound across multiple phones?
For music, Beebo Campsite Mode can play the same track in sync on many phones and can split it into a left and right stereo pair. The group chooses a connected compatible device as its main screen, while the other phones remain speakers. Each phone shows its position before playback begins. The Android feature is a Beta test build and has not yet been measured on real phones. Movie and video surround is a separate Windows beta, tested only in simulation.
Can I try it today?
Yes, as a test. It is in the Android test build 1.51-tester34 (build 84), which you download and install from this site (see Get Beebo on your phone). It is Beta: it is still being tested and has not been checked on real phones over a hotspot, so expect rough edges. Older Android versions do not have it.
Does it need the internet?
The guests’ phones do not. They join the host phone’s Wi-Fi (Beebo’s own Wi-Fi, the phone’s hotspot or a shared Wi-Fi), and the music travels over that Wi-Fi. The host phone gets its songs from your Beebo computer, so it needs to be able to reach that computer to load them.
Do guests need an app or an account?
No. A guest scans the code and opens the page in an ordinary web browser on a phone, tablet or laptop, then taps once to turn sound on. They install nothing and sign up for nothing. The host needs the Beebo Android app.
How many phones can play together?
We designed it for about eight guest phones on one hotspot. Each guest downloads each song from the host phone, so more phones mean more Wi-Fi traffic and a longer wait before a song starts. We have not tested large groups on real phones, so we do not promise a number.
Will I be able to use a wireless speaker box?
That is planned, not available or verified today. Beta: a Campsite Wireless speakers screen for placing and timing participating phones is in the Android test download; it has only been opened on a real phone, not used with a real speaker. No Bluetooth, Chromecast, Sonos, portable job-site radio or other speaker-brand compatibility has been confirmed. A phone's own wireless audio output may add delay, and a trim control cannot guarantee a synchronized external speaker.
Does it work for movies and videos?
Yes, in a beta. Beebo for Windows (0.1.58 and later) can use phones as separate speakers for a movie or video. Choose a connected compatible device for the picture, then assign phones to the available audio positions, such as Front left, Front right, Centre, Back left or Back right. We have tested it in simulation and by measurement on one computer, not on real phones. Campsite Mode can also let guests watch downloaded videos together on their own phones, where each phone plays the whole soundtrack.
Does the host phone play the music too?
Not in this first version. The host phone is the conductor: it stays quiet and starts, pauses and skips for everyone. Playing on the host phone in sync as well is not built.
How accurate is the sync?
In our tests on one computer, two browser windows reported the same point in a song within a fraction of a millisecond, and a simulated phone with a badly drifting clock stayed within about 13 milliseconds. That is not the same as real phones on a hotspot, which we have not measured yet. We expect differences of tens of milliseconds, which suits group listening but is not exact enough to call a calibrated stereo system. Each phone shows a Sync indicator that turns green when its estimated error is within about 30 ms.
Will it keep playing when a phone’s screen locks?
Keep the page open with the screen on. Some phones pause a web page when the screen locks, and we have not tested ways to keep it playing. If a phone drops out, open the page again and it catches up by itself. iPhones may ask for the audio tap again after a call or a lock.
Related pages
Written for the Beebo Android test build 1.51-tester11 (build 61), as of Oct 5, 2026, 6:57 AM Eastern. The feature described is in that test build and has not been measured on real phones yet. Found something that does not match what you see? Tell us at testers@beeboentertainment.com. It is a plain email, with no form and no sign-up.