When they go on sale next week, the Google Pixel Buds Pro will boast the ability to switch audio automatically between two devices with no settings needing to be adjusted. Now Google has shared more info on how that will work.
The tech builds on Google's Fast Pair feature, which lets you quickly and easily pair your headphones with your Android device and then add them to your Google Account. That means they're then synced with your other Android devices.
Audio switching uses Google's smarts to know when to switch between devices.
"Our audio switching technology builds on top of Fast Pair to use contextual information on what you’re listening to in order to switch the audio based on your actions," Google says in a blog post. "We have more categories that are ranked to determine how to prioritise sounds between phone calls, media and all of the sounds your devices may make. So for example, if you’re watching a video on your tablet and you receive a notification on your phone, your headphone audio will not switch to your phone. But if you receive a phone call, your headphone audio will make the switch."
Don't like that the headphones have switched device? A notification appears with every switch – tap it and you'll switch back to your original device.
Google's headphones aren't the only ones with this feature – the AirPods can switch between multiple Apple devices. But Google's tech sounds more advanced.
The feature won't be limited to the Pixel Buds Pro. Google will also roll out audio switching to "select" Sony and JBL headphones in the coming weeks – that could include the excellent Sony WF-1000XM4, WH-1000XM5 and JBL Reflect Flow Pro (all five-star products). Though we'll have to wait to see which models gain the feature.
And it might not be limited to Android devices. Google ends the post saying it "plans to expand to more of your favourite platforms and devices over time". Exciting.
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