Google’s Pixel Buds will get their first main update through the company’s “drop functionality” program.
Feature reductions, introduced last December, are semi-regular updates to Pixel phone features that come with new features. Google showed me in May that the same update program will reach Pixel Buds, but kept a low profile on new features in progress. Until today.
The headset will get seven new capabilities, new EQ settings, and an update to the language translation feature. There is also a primary solution for users who still suffer persistent audio loss.
With the risk of Samsung’s incredibly new Galaxy Buds Live on the horizon, Google couldn’t have synced this update better. Here’s what’s new.
A for audio loss issues
In May, many Pixel Bud owners complained of persistent audio losses on the Reddit and Google help forums. I also spoke to about 50 readers who had the same disorders. The disorders were varied, adding up hearing loss in either earbud, sitting or moving. Audio was also cut for those users, regardless of the device they were using or their proximity to the connected device. You can read my pavilion here.
In an interview with me published last month, Sandeep Waraich, senior mobile product manager at Google, explained that Bluetooth interference may be the cause of audio problems. He warned that a smaller RF antenna, resulting from the mini-turad design of the headphones, could also play a role. Watch the interview here.
Google has shown me that removing this feature will come with a solution to audio removal issues. Explaining that “this update [v550] comes with software innovations that will help solve some challenges. These include reducing calls by cuts, increased automatic recovery when one or any of the headset loses connection, better media playback stability for software audio-encoded phones, and solving a challenge where a headset doesn’t connect when it’s out of the case.” Google also stated that if users still revel in challenges after the update, tap the support.
If you won the update and still have issues, or if the update resolved the abandonment issue, please tap me.
New eq settings (more or less) and sharing detection
Last month, I asked some readers what they would like to see in the first Pixel Bud feature. One of the maximum features requested is the EQ configuration, which Google announced today. More or less.
Google has added an option to build base grades in Pixel Buds settings (called “basic construction”). But those who expect deeper settings, such as changing the treble or converting the sound profile, are unlucky.
Google may introduce more EQ features in the future, similar to what you can discover in Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Live. However, for now, Pixel Bud users will only have to adjust the base levels.
There is also a new sharing detection feature, which automatically identifies whether you percentage one headset with another. Then, both users can adjust the individual sound grades with a scan based on their volume preferences.
The thing
Unsurprisingly, Pixel Buds will get new features based on synthetic intelligence in today’s update. The real-time translation feature will now transcribe conversations between two other people and read aloud the translated speech to your ears. Google says it will help others “stay in the moment,” the search company says the feature works more productively in a quiet environment when a user is talking.
There is also a new “attention alerts” feature that automatically reduces the volume of audio when something “vital” happens around you. Google provides examples of an emergency vehicle passing through you or a crying baby. We don’t know how the assistant makes a decision about what’s vital or if you can exercise it to do so, but Google has added a warning that it’s an experimental feature.
An update to Find My Device will now give users one last location on the known map of their Pixel Buds, even if they are not connected to an Android phone. Another addition is the ability to ask Google, through a voice command, how much battery is left in its Pixel Buds.
Solving a Centennial Problem
The giant capacitive dominance of the original Pixel Buds has made it a nightmare to use. Accidental keys, which resulted in involuntary checks, were common. The new Pixel Buds have solved this problem more frequently, but their small length means it’s easy to interrupt the music or see the wizard.
Today’s update will fix this issue with a new feature that allows users to turn touch controls on or off. For other people who manipulate the violin and adjust the headphones, this is good news.
All those updates will be rolled out today. The new color features for Pixel Bud will also be available in the U.S. Starting today, adding Oh So Orange, Quite Mint and Almost Black.
It will be attractive to be aware of the frequency of falling features of Pixel Buds. Pixel phone drops arrive unofficially every 3 months or so. But as I said before: smartphones do more than just headphones, so there are more features to add. We’ll have to see if Google can have a similar calendar, but for now, there are still other spaces where Google can use Pixel Buds.
Do you have any advice, mind or anything about it? Let me know.
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I am a London-based freelance journalist who specializes in all facets of technology, adding reviews, surveys, observations and news. I’m the editor-in-chief of the
I am a freelance journalist based in London, specializing in all facets of technology, adding reviews, surveys, observation and news. I’m the editor of the YouTube channel for investigative journalism, Point. I also write for The Guardian, Independent, Evening Standard, TechRadar, New Scientist and others.