Android devices are finally getting Bluetooth audio switching. After years of watching iOS users have fun from afar, Android owners can finally join the party and live a life of convenience. Now, you won’t have to constantly search through Bluetooth settings when using Fast Pair earbuds and can go between your Android phone, tablet, or vice versa.
Fast Pair has long allowed Android users to quickly pair wireless earbuds without fiddling through device settings. Now, Google’s expanding Fast Pair to allow for seamless device switching across multiple devices. Listening to music on your Android phone but want to switch to watching a movie on your Android tablet? With a supported pair of headphones, they’ll now automatically switch between devices on their own. This has been a highly requested feature ever since it was introduced for iOS with Apple’s AirPods, so it’s nice to see Google putting the effort into creating its own version.
Unlike Apple’s audio switching features, the Android version won’t only be supported by first-party devices. Obviously, Google is pushing the feature with the release of the upcoming Pixel Buds Pro — which are scheduled to launch next week, but additional select earbuds from Sony and JBL will also receive support. Google will be prioritizing its own devices first, however, as the feature won’t be rolling out to third-party headsets for another few weeks.
Google’s take on automatic device switching is pretty much what you’d expect from the feature: your Bluetooth connection switches as new audio sources are introduced and prioritized. In the example that Google provides, this means that if you get a notification on your phone while watching a video on your tablet, the connection won’t switch to the phone because the video is prioritized. Audio priorities are able to be switched around in the settings.
This is an exciting big step for Google as it continues to try and establish itself in the audio space. Previous versions of the Pixel Buds have left a lot to be desired, so if the Buds Pro are able to be as highly regarded a product as the AirPods Pro, the company could be setting itself up for future audio success.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.
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