You're in the middle of an important job where you need to hear clear audio. Unfortunately, your computer speaker will no longer work. Or maybe you're in the middle of a riveting movie and your laptop speakers are giving up on you.
So what are you doing now? You probably don't know this, but you can use your Android phone as a speakerphone for your PC or laptop. You can even use your iPhone as a speaker using third-party apps, but first we'll see how to turn your Android phone into a computer speaker.
How to turn your Android phone into a speaker
By downloading a third-party app and following the steps below, you can set up your Android phone as a speakerphone for your laptop or PC.
The first step
The first thing you need to do is download a third-party app that will help you convert your phone into a speakerphone. There are many applications available, including AudioRelay and SoundWire. We recommend that you opt for SoundWire. You can download it from the Google Play Store. It is a free application and extremely convenient to use.
Second step
Now that you have downloaded SoundWire on your Android phone, you also need to download the desktop version of the app. You can do this by going to the SoundWire Server and downloading the compressed file. You will need to unzip the file and install the application on your computer.
Third step
You need to make sure both of your devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. This is the main requirement, and this method will not work otherwise. If you don't have Wi-Fi, you can use your phone's hotspot to connect your desktop or laptop to the Internet.
Fourth step
Open the SoundWire app on your phone and the SoundWire server on your computer or laptop.
fifth step
If you have followed all the steps mentioned above well, chances are that the two devices will connect instantly. If this does not happen for some reason, however, you will need to enter the server address manually. You can do this by copying the app's server address from your PC and entering it on your phone.
After that tap on the SoundWire icon on your phone. That's it, your phone should now work as a speakerphone.
Alternative route
You can also use your phone as a speakerphone by connecting your phone to the computer/laptop using a USB cable. You'll also need the internet for this process to work, but you don't need a Wi-Fi network. Your phone's cellular data should suffice.
The first step
Connect your phone to your laptop or computer using a USB cable. Then go to Parameters option and press Network & Internet.
Second step
Now press Access point and connection sharing then select USB tethering.
Third step
Again, open the SoundWire app on your phone and PC and follow the fifth step mentioned earlier in the article. Your phone should now work as a speakerphone.
What if you have an iPhone?
Unfortunately, there are no free apps available on the Apple Store which will help you convert your iPhone into a speakerphone for your laptop or PC in the long run. However, if you don't mind paying, you can use an app called iSpeaker, but its quality cannot be independently verified.
However, if you're trying to use your iPhone as a speaker for your Mac or iMac in the short term, there's good news. There is a free app called Airfoil Satellite which will help you.
The first step
Download the Satellite to Wing app on your iPhone. You will need to download its companion version on your Mac or iMac. Unfortunately, the macOS version is a trial version and only allows ten minutes of listening time per session. So, if you are looking to use your iPhone as a speakerphone for more than ten minutes at a time, this method is not for you.
This does not mean that the audio will stop streaming from your phone after ten minutes, but the sound quality will degrade significantly.
Second step
Now you need to connect both devices. You have to connect them both to the same Wi-Fi network, just like you have to do if you have an Android phone.
Third step
Open the Airfoil Satellite app on both your macOS and your iPhone. On the macOS Airfoil app, click Loudspeakers. You will now need to select your iPhone name from the list. Both devices should now be connected.
Fourth step
You need to follow this last step because you still need to select a source for your audio. You need to set your iPhone as the output device. You can do this by clicking Source in the top left corner of the macOS app.
fifth step
If you try to play something using the Safari browser, for example, your Mac will prompt you for a message from the macOS application telling you that you need to install an audio capture engine.
Click on Install Ace.
This will open another window that will tell you what ACE is and how it works. It's fairly simple to navigate, and you should be able to install it with no qualms.
Step Six
Now search for Airplay devices. Tap your iPhone's name in this menu and you're ready to start using your iPhone as a speakerphone for your macOS machine.
Happy audio streaming!
Hope this article was helpful. Although it's not very common to send audio from a computer to a phone, it can be done. In the case of Android, it's free and simple, while things are a bit more complicated in the iOS/macOS camp.
Have you had success streaming audio from your laptop or PC to your phone? Did you encounter any problems along the way? We look forward to hearing from you.
