NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 15: Google Pixel Buds’ new honors will be unveiled at a Google launch … [+]
Google’s Pixel Buds will get their first major update today through the company’s “feature drop” program.
Feature drops, introduced last December, are semi-regular feature updates for Pixel phones that include new functionality. Google confirmed to me in May that the same update program was coming to the Pixel Buds, but it kept coming back about what new capabilities were underway. To this day.
The earbuds will get seven new capabilities, including new equalizer settings and an update to the language version feature. There is also a major bug fix for users who still suffer from persistent audio dropouts.
With the threat of Samsung’s surprisingly good new Galaxy Buds Live on the horizon, Google could not have made this update any better. Here’s what’s new.
A solution to audio dropout issues
In May, hundreds of Pixel Bud owners complained about persistent audio dropouts on Reddit and the Google forums for support. I also talked to about 50 readers who had the same issues. The problems were widespread, including dropouts in both earbuds, when they sat still as on the road. The audio would also often turn off for these users, regardless of which device they were using, or their proximity to the connected device. You can read my coverage here.
In an interview with me published last month, Sandeep Waraich, senior product manager for wearables at Google, explained that Bluetooth interference could be behind the audio issues. He hints that a smaller RF antenna, a consequence of the miniturized design of the earbuds, could also play a role. Watch the interview here.
Google has confirmed to me that this feature drop will provide a fix for the audio dropout issues. Note that “this update [v550] includes some software enhancements that will help with some issues. These include decreasing instances of calls during calls, better autorecovery if one or both earbuds lose connection, improved media playback stability for phones that have audio encoding software, and address an issue where one earbud does not connect when off the case draws. Google also said that if users still have issues after the update to contact support.
If you have received the update and you are still experiencing issues, or if the update has resolved the bug issue, please contact me.
New equalizer settings (type of) and partition detection
Last month, I surveyed some readers about what they want to see in the first drop of Pixel Bud feature. One of the most requested features was equalizer settings, which Google announced today. Kind of.
Google has added an option to increase base levels in the Pixel Buds settings (called “base boost”). But those who are hoping for more in-depth settings, such as changing treble or changing sound profiles, are lucky.
Google may introduce more EQ options in the future, perhaps similar to what can be found in Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Live. For now, however, Pixel Bud users will have to adjust to adjust base levels.
There’s also a new share detection feature, which automatically identifies when you share a reverend with someone else. Both users can then adjust individual sound levels with a swipe, depending on their volume preferences.
The smart stuff
As you would expect, the Pixel Buds will get new AI-based features in today’s update. The real-time translation feature will now transcribe conversations back and forth between two people and read the translated speech into your buttons aloud. Google says this will help people “stay tuned” for now, though the search company warns that the feature works best in a quiet environment when one person is talking.
There’s also a new “attention alerts” feature that automatically lowers audio volume when something “important” happens around you. Google gives examples of an emergency car that passes you like a baby crying. It’s not clear how Assistant decides what’s important, or if you can train it to do so, but Google added the caveat that this is an experimental feature.
An update for Find My Device will now give users a last known map location of their Pixel Buds, even if they are not connected to an Android phone. Another addition is the ability to ask Google, via a voice command, how much battery life is left in their Pixel Buds.
Solve an old age problem
The large capacitive area of the original Pixel Buds made them a nightmare to use. Accidental touches, which resulted in unintentional commands, were frequent. The new Pixel Buds have mostly solved this problem, but their small size means that it is easy to pause music by accident or bring up Assistant.
Today’s update will correct this with a new feature that allows users to turn on or off the controls. This is good news for people who are constantly feeding and adjusting their earbuds.
All of these updates will roll out today. New color options from Pixel Bud will also be available in the US from today including Oh So Orange, Quite Mint and Almost Black.
The frequency of Drops from Pixel Buds feature will be interesting to keep an eye on. Drops for Pixel phones land unofficially every three months or so. But as I’ve commented before: smartphones do a lot more than earbuds, so there are more features to add. We’ll have to see if Google can maintain a similar regular schedule, but for now there are still other areas where Google can improve the Pixel Buds.
Do you have a tip, thoughts or something to complain about? Let me know.
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