Beats for Android update adds widgets & basic ‘Locate My Beats’ lookup

Abner Li | Apr 16 2022 - 10:51 am PT

Following Apple Music’s redesign of its widgets, Beats for Android is adding some to let you quickly manage headphones from the homescreen, while the companion app is also getting a “Locate My Beats” capability.

Update 4/16: Version 2.5.5 of Beats for Android is now rolled out in Google Play with the new widgets and Locate My Beats functionality.

The two widgets are functionally identical with one being taller than the other. You cannot manually resize them — they’ll span the width of your screen, while the dark background persists through either device theme.

There’s the product name, device picture, and battery status. The left and right buds are shown side-by-side rather than the case percentage being shown in the middle.

Original 4/12: The Beats app lets you connect headphones and update them when new firmware becomes available. There are controls for turning on/off ANC with a tap and connecting two speakers together.

You already get a notification that lets you quickly see the battery percentage of each component, and that info is now available as a homescreen widget on Android. It’s analogous to the system Battery widget on iOS.

Meanwhile, a new “Locate My Beats” feature will note the location whenever your headphones disconnect from a paired phone. Those last connected GPS coordinates are then shown using Apple Maps if you ever misplace them. This straightforward mechanism is meant for and works with all of current Beats products.

It comes as the Studio Buds notably already support Google’s Find My Device app and Fast Pair system, but you can now also use Locate My Beats with them. On the iPhone and iPad, Beats products work with the broader Find My network.

Studio Buds the ‘fastest-selling’ Beats product to date, now in three new colors

The Beats app is rarely updated with the latest version (2.5.1) from mid-January. As of this afternoon, Apple has yet to release the new update that adds widgets and Locate My Beats.