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[Update: Specifics] Google working on ‘Bluetooth stability and connectivity’ fixes for Pixel Buds

Google today sent out a wide-ranging survey to some Pixel Buds owners. Some have encountered audio cutouts since receiving the headphones six weeks ago. A Google employee on the official support forum today acknowledged the issue and promised Bluetooth fixes for the 2nd-generation Pixel Buds in the coming weeks.

Original 6/8: The issue manifests as audio pausing for 1-2 seconds when users turn their head. For some, the cutout only occurs in one ear, while others report losing sound in both buds. Device replacements and firmware updates fail to resolve the problem for those affected.

A Google employee today recognized the issues and says software updates are planned to “improve Bluetooth stability and connectivity.” This will occur over the “coming weeks”:

I just wanted to let all of you know that we’ve heard you, and our team will be rolling out software updates in the coming weeks to improve Bluetooth stability and connectivity.

Thank you for providing your feedback, both on this thread and in feedback reports. Our team has found it beyond helpful while investigating and working on improving these connectivity issues.

Those facing problems are encouraged to participate in the Help Community and send bug reports. This involves opening the preferences page for Pixel Buds on your phone > More settings > Send feedback.

The Pixel Buds survey today classified the issue as “Audio is glitchy (i.e. cuts in and out randomly).” It’s not clear how widespread the problem is in the grand scheme.

Update 6/9: Google on Tuesday provided some specifics on what exactly will be addressed in future updates:

  • Decrease instances of phone call cut outs
  • Improve autorecovery when one or both earbuds lose connection
  • Improve media playback stability for phones that have software audio encoding

More about Pixel Buds:

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Avatar for Abner Li Abner Li

Editor-in-chief. Interested in the minutiae of Google and Alphabet. Tips/talk: abner@9to5g.com