Google details new AirPods-style Bluetooth upgrades for Android

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  The existing Fast Pair system. Just pop open your headphone case and you'll get a pairing notification. [credit: Google ]

Google finally started shipping the second-generation Pixel Buds, and with them came a slew of new features for Android's Bluetooth stack.

The 2nd-gen Pixel Buds are Google's first truly wireless headphones, and they are finally on sale for $179 in the US. They were announced a whopping six months ago at Google's annual hardware event, alongside the Pixel 4, Pixelbook Go, and Nest Wi-Fi. They have an always-on Google Assistant, a charging case, and no active noise cancellation.

Fine, fine. What's far more interesting are the new Bluetooth features Google is enabling for all Android phones running Android 6.0 and up. These are all quality-of-life features that copy existing Apple Airpods features, but Google is partnering with other headphone manufacturers, too, bringing better Bluetooth to the wider ecosystem. The first company to take Google up on the offer is Harman Kardon (a division of Samsung Electronics) for the Harman Kardon Fly.

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