Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. Generally, the described techniques provide for sniffing, by a secondary wireless audio device, a first packet (including a first sequence number (SEQN) associated with a primary wireless audio device) from a source device to the primary wireless audio device. The secondary wireless audio device may increment a packet counter based on sniffing the first packet, and may receive a second packet (including a second SEQN associated with the secondary wireless audio device) from the source device. The secondary wireless audio device may transmit an acknowledgement (ACK) message corresponding to the second packet, and may increment its packet based thereon. In some examples, both the primary wireless audio device and the second wireless audio device may alternate between transmitting ACK messages for owned SEQNs.