Sometimes you just need a speaker, and cranking up the volume on your smartphone isn’t going to cut it. But what if you could link up all the phones in the room to create a giant, hacked-together surround sound speaker of sorts?
AmpMe, a Montreal startup founded by serial entrepreneur and MLA Ventures Founder Martin-Luc Archambault, today announced a mobile app that syncs streaming music across smartphones and tablets to create a powerful speaker and a shared musical experience. This entirely free app enables both iOS and Android devices to play the same music together across both platforms in perfect sync, giving the effect of a powerful, distributed speaker that surrounds the users.
AmpMe – Be The Speakers from AmpMe on Vimeo.
The app works by allowing a Host to sync their streaming music with friends’ devices. The Host controls the playlist, and is able to search for their favorite songs, artists and albums by connecting to the SoundCloud music service. Rather than rely on Bluetooth or Wi-Fi technology to connect devices together, AmpMe uses a server-centric proprietary audio fingerprinting technology to create perfect synchronization and works with your regular data plan or Wi-Fi network. Once the Host hits “Play,” friends join by entering a unique four (4) digit party code. Syncing starts automatically and, in seconds, you and your friends are surrounded by sound.
AmpMe is compatible with iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. Android users can also use AmpMe with Bluetooth speakers that include a microphone. An Apple Watch app also allows party Hosts to control AmpMe playback.
AmpMe founder Martin-Luc Archambault said, “Music was never meant to be enjoyed by a bunch of friends crowding around a single, maxed out phone speaker… but we’ve all done it. It’s a terrible experience, but sometimes it’s all you have when the party starts.”
AmpMe is available for free in the iOS App Store and Google Play.
