The Pixel Buds Pro true wireless stereo (TWS) earphones from Google haven't been released yet, but Google has prepared a new feature for the AirPods Pro challenger.
The new feature is auto switch, where TWS can switch from one device to another automatically, depending on the device that needs it. Even this feature can be activated automatically without the need for settings in the phone menu.
AirPods Pro, and various other AirPods also have this feature, where the TWS can be transferred from one Apple device to another (with the same Apple ID) according to the device being used.
"Our audio switching technology is built on top of Fast Pair to use contextual information about what the user is listening to to move audio based on what is being done," wrote Angle Hsiao of Google in a blog post.
"We have many categories that are sorted to determine the priority of sound between phone calls, media, and the various sounds that can be issued by the device," he added.
For information, Fast Pair is a feature that can connect TWS to a device simply by placing the device close together, as quoted from The Verge, Sunday (24/7/2022).
On paper, this auto switching feature does look useful. But in practice, AirPods often move their connection to other devices at inconvenient times. Although the user can actually turn off this feature if it is disturbing.
This is what Google seems to be trying to overcome by adding a feature to move the connection to the initial device with just one touch.
"As on all Androids, you have a full control experience with a notification that pops up if you want to move the audio back to the original device with just one touch," added Hsiao.
There are actually other features that would be more useful for TWS or regular Bluetooth headphones. That is the Bluetooth multipoint feature, where TWS or headphones can be connected to more than one device at the same time.
So TWS does not need to move the connection from one device to another if needed. Thankfully, the Pixel Buds Pro support Bluetooth multipoint, but it seems that Google is putting more faith in the auto-switching feature for users with more than one device.
Oh yes, this audio switching feature will also not be exclusive to the Pixel Buds Pro, because the feature will also be present in several headphones made by Sony and JBL in the next few weeks.
Google also promises to bring a major software update in the next few months. In this update, there will be additional noise canceling and spatial audio head tracking features.