Google intends to spend several months improving Android phones' Bluetooth headphone capabilities. It is also planning to add features that Apple iPhone and AirPod customers have enjoyed to its Fast Pair technology for a long time.
Audio sources such as Android phones, Chromebooks, Android TV, and certain Windows PCs will auto-switch with compatible headphones (probably due in 2022 but have not yet been mentioned). Apple AirPods have been one of the most popular earphones since their introduction in late 2016.
They are a handy method to listen to music, podcasts, and more on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac since they emerged with the trend of phones losing headphone jacks. On Android, Google will enable complete head tracking for spatial audio, allowing sound to react to your motions. At present, it only offers rudimentary spatial audio for a few music providers.
Unfortunately, that is all the firm's information on spatial audio for now, so things like compatible music streaming services supported headphones, and supported Android versions remain unclear.
Many Fast Pair capabilities, including auto-switching and spatial audio, will be available "in the future months" and, in some instances, "in the coming weeks." Fast Pair is Google's approach for connecting Bluetooth devices more efficiently, utilizing a small pop-up window rather than asking users to go into the system settings.
It is designed to link your headphones with numerous devices associated with your account, much like Apple's system. In contrast to Apple's method, Google's Fast Pair feature set is incomplete and confusing. However, in both situations, the primary concept is to layer a system on top of standard Bluetooth to make it simpler for consumers to manage their devices — and, as a consequence, maybe generate some lock-in.
With Samsung handsets and Samsung headphones, Samsung has created its lock-in environment, supporting some of the capabilities that Google hopes to send out more broadly this year. Google's Fast Pair, on the other hand, is available to a broader range of vendors.
A sprinkling of additional Fast Pair capabilities will be available in 2022, in addition to those two main ones. Fast Pairing will be available on Google TV and "other Android TV OS" devices, as well as Chromebooks, according to Google. Also, Google is teaming up with Acer and HP to deliver some of its Fast Pair technology to Windows PCs and support for Nearby Share and text message sync.
These audio improvements are part of Google's bigger CES 2022 announcements, all scheduled to debut in 2022. In addition, Google's "Better Together" branding is expanding to encompass text message sync for any app on Chromebooks, setting up smart home devices with the Fast Pair UI, integrating Chromecast into Bose speakers and soundbars, and even unlocking Android phones with Wear OS 3 wearables.
Overall, Google's initiatives are an effort to provide Android users with many of the ecosystem advantages enjoyed by Apple customers. However, since it is Google and Android, anticipate the rollout to be slow and haphazard. According to Google, many of these capabilities, at least, will not need a complete Android OS upgrade.