Once upon a time, we only expected to use one Bluetooth speaker at a time, but in this era of wireless multiroom audio systems, one hardly seems enough. Various manufacturers are tackling this problem in their own way, and many of the solutions only allow for stereo pairing. With the launch of the new PartyUp feature, Ultimate Ears aims to allow users to connect many more speakers than that.
The new feature, part of the apps available for the UE Boom, UE Boom 2, and UE Megaboom speakers, allows for more than 50 of those speakers to be connected at once. For those who already have the apps installed, the new feature will become available as a free over-the-air update to the existing apps. If you haven’t yet bought into the Ultimate Ears series, the feature will be available as soon as you download the app.
“Music connects people in extraordinary ways,” Ultimate Ears general manager Charlotte Johs said in a statement. “Now, when friends come together, they can easily connect their speakers without worrying about limitations. Whether you and your crew are on a rooftop without a power outlet, or 50 of your closest pals are floating down a river without a dry spot in sight, PartyUp lets the party grow within seconds.”
While the new feature allows multiple speakers to be connected at once, that isn’t all it does. Siri and Google Now voice integration is also supported, as are Tap controls, allowing playback to be controlled across multiple speakers at once from your mobile devices.
If you haven’t yet bought into the Ultimate Ears series, the feature will be available as soon as you download the app, but only for the speakers mentioned above. The company’s popular UE Roll and UE Roll 2 speakers aren’t supported.
The new PartyUp feature is available for the UE Boom and UE Megaboom apps, both of which are available for iOS and Android users in their respective app stores. For more information, see the newly added PartyUp section of the Ultimate Ears website.