Over the past few months, we’ve spotted a Fast Pair redesign when setting up Bluetooth devices on Android. After becoming widely available last month, Google made the revamp official today.
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Depending on the earbuds, set up could be as simple as bringing the Bluetooth accessory near your Android phone. This is made possible by Fast Pair, which Google updated in recent weeks to take after iOS.
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Google has offered up its Fast Pair standard for headphones on Android for a while now, but few companies have actually adopted it. Now, a few weeks after their launch, we’re reminded that Microsoft’s Surface Earbuds support Fast Pair on Android, just like Google’s Pixel Buds.
At I/O 2019, Google quietly teased what’s new for Android’s user-friendly interface over Bluetooth. With the launch of the Pixel Buds this morning, the latest Fast Pair features were also detailed.
In late 2018, Google announced that its Fast Pair feature for headphones would not only work on Chrome OS, but would also sync your devices between Android and a Chromebook. Now, in the latest Chrome OS beta, it appears that Fast Pair is finally starting to work.
At I/O 2019, Google quietly made a series of announcements to improve Bluetooth devices on Android. The company is now sharing a list of which third-party headphones will support Fast Pair’s new “True Wireless features,” Find My Device, and connected device details in Android Q.
With the death of the headphone jack, Bluetooth accessories are only becoming more important. Now, we’re learning that Google is putting some heavy emphasis on these accessories in Android Q with a revamped Bluetooth menu and some new features for Fast Pair.
The first Google Assistant headphones arrived in 2017 with the Bose QuietComfort 35 II and Pixel Buds later that year. Several headphones from Sony and JBL have launched since then, while Google introduced new features like real-time translation. Qualcomm today announced Assistant and Fast Pair support in its Smart Headset chips that will make it easier for device makers to create Google-compatible headsets.
Here at 9to5Google, we’ve been closely monitoring the Google I/O 2019 sessions list, noting the various additions and changes Google makes almost every day. Last night, for example, the company added twelve “lightning talks” sessions, or 30 minutes of rapid-fire presentations on various related subjects, across two days of Google I/O. In these, we’ve found hints of things likely to be announced during the keynote, such as “Find My Accessories.”
Earlier this month, Google released a Fast Pair Validator app on the Play Store to help Bluetooth manufacturers support Android’s seamless Bluetooth pairing solution. Announced last year, Google is now adding device syncing for accessories and Chromebook support in 2019.
With the launch of Pixel Buds last year, Google announced “Fast Pair” as Android’s solution for seamless Bluetooth accessory pairing to phones. Headphones released in the past year that include Assistant often feature the solution, with Google last week releasing a “Fast Pair Validator” app for manufacturers implementing the functionality.
When Google announced the Pixel Buds at the beginning of the month, we found out that the company had developed “Fast Pair” to painlessly connect your compatible headphones to your Android device. Thanks to a new blog post by Google, we now have more details on how this technique works…