One of the best features offered by AirPods is automatic audio switching. In short, the audio device remains connected to your iPhone and Mac simultaneously, and can automatically change the audio flow when needed. For example, AirPods immediately switched from Mac and to the iPhone when you got a call on your iPhone. After years of waiting, Google finally brought the facility to an Android phone.
This feature was launched for Pixel Buds Pro starting today, but limited support only on Android phones and tablets. Google said some Sony and JBL headphones will also offer joy “in the coming weeks.”
The company also promises that audio switching will go to more devices and platforms (like Windows) “from time to time,” but there is no concrete window about when the plan will be realized. In January 2022, Google promised that audio switching will also go to Chromebook and Android TV, but there is no time line for these two in-house platforms as well.
Activating the audio on Android functions in a very similar way to the Apple ecosystem partner. Earbud and your headphones will remain connected to the tablet and telephone simultaneously, but only one device will send audio flow at once. If you get a phone call while watching a movie on a tablet, the audio flow will immediately turn to the phone so you can attend the call.
Breaking ecosystem barriers
What about notification and warning? So that things are not chaotic, Google said that they had created a ranking system for notification to prioritize how audio flows switch between two devices. The point of this system is your Google account, just like the Apple version requires Apple ID. You will need the same Google account for the audio switching to work on both devices.
Audio Switching is just one of the few features that Google wants to offer with Fast Pair, which was built on the Bluetooth Le Audio platform. The new Bluetooth sig has completed the specifications for the Le -version, which also brings the benefits of Le audio to the table, such as LC3 Audio Codec for a deeper listening to music, auracast, and compatibility with hearing aids.
The news also means that the Bluetooth Le device is not too far from hitting the racks that are armed with the support of the audio switching. With fast pair, the signature of the paired device that is linked to a Google account is stored without a special application. So, next time you want to connect your earbuds, no need to proclaim the Bluetooth settings.
The half -page notification that asks the pair prompt will do the job quickly. Samsung has offered that comfort, but locked on its own ecosystem from galaxy branded devices, such as Apple. With fast pair, Google will democate it throughout the Android ecosystem. And immediately, for Chromebook and Windows PC too.