Google has made a change to how you enable the “Hey Google” hotword and Voice Match on Pixel Buds and other Assistant headphones.
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Besides voice commands, the key aspect of Google Assistant headphones is having incoming notifications read aloud. Google has now brought this Assistant feature to all wired headphones, regardless of whether they’ve been optimized by the manufacturer.
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Truly wireless earbuds have exploded in popularity over the past couple of years, but one feature they often lack is active noise cancellation. Today, Sony has debuted its new truly wireless WF-1000XM3 earbuds with active noise cancellation and Google Assistant built in.
Google Assistant is available in a ton of different places, and one area that’s often overlooked is headphones. Google cooked up a unique way to interact with the Assistant on select headphones last year, and now, quite a few options support it. Looking to get a set? Here are the best headphones you can buy right now with Google Assistant built-in.
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.
Bang & Olufsen is a huge and respected name in audio, and they’re no stranger to working with Google Assistant. Today, the company’s popular Beoplay H9 headphones have been updated with battery life improvements, as well as Google Assistant built-in.
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.
The Google Assistant has long been a great choice for controlling media via voice, and lately more brands have been including direct access to it from Bluetooth headsets. JBL started including the Google Assistant in their headphones last year with their Everest series devices, and now they’re expanding the Assistant integration with three new headsets in their LIVE series.
Over the past year, the number of Google Assistant headphones available have proliferated. This, unfortunately, is not due to the success of Pixel Buds, but rather various brands adding one-tap access to notifications and Google Search on Android. All these headphones now support the Pixel Buds real-time translation feature.
Last year’s Pixel Buds were some of my favorite wireless headphones, but they were flawed in some big ways. As we approach Google’s October 9th hardware unveiling, we’re expecting the company to reveal a second-gen Pixel Buds 2, and there are a few key places where they can be improved.
I love using noise-canceling headphones to block out the world around me, and over the past several months, Sony’s WH-1000XM2 has been my go-to option. Now, Sony is revamping those with the WH-1000XM3 — and they pack some big upgrades.
During I/O 2018, the Google app gained the ability to customize what notifications get sent to Assistant headphones. Today, Google is rolling out a number of new features to Pixel Buds, including new double and triple tap gestures, as well as the ability to easily switch between devices.
Continuing the Google Assistant onslaught at CES 2018 is Sony with new Bluetooth headphones, including a truly wireless pair and neckbuds. However, what’s notable is the company retroactively adding Assistant to its older headphones through an upcoming software update.
After announcing the first “headphones optimized for the Google Assistant” last month, Google unveiled their own pair today. Instead of an over-the-design, the Google Pixel Buds are Bluetooth earbuds attached via a wire.
The latest beta of the Google app is rolling out this morning and features a number of strings related to Assistant. Version 7.13 notes new features in the works for Assistant-enabled headphones, as well as what is possibly a new device: “Google Earphones.”
Google Assistant on headphones was officially announced last week and launched alongside the Bose QC35 II. While we were able to figure out and layout all of the headphone’s features in our hands-on and full review of the product, Google’s online support documents were a little scarce.
Fortunately, for those who haven’t bought the Bose headphones yet or are waiting for a different model to come to the market, Google has now uploaded three instructional videos to help you get started…
Following weeks of reporting that provided a pretty clear glimpse, Google finally announced their first “headphones optimized for the Google Assistant” this month. The initial pair are made by Bose, but we’ve long speculated that there would be more models from other companies.
In fact, for quite a while now, we’ve heard from our own sources of Google-made headphones in development and today another rumor corroborates that information. What’s not known is whether or not they’ll ever be a real product.
