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Google is adding a cool new feature to its age-old Pixel Buds

Oct 10, 2019, 8:58 AM

Adrian Diaconescu

Google is adding a cool new feature to its age-old Pixel Buds

In addition to the Pixel 4 and 4 XL smartphones that have stopped being a secret a long time ago, Google could unveil on October 15 a surprise Pixel Watch that the company was previously rumored to have abandoned and second-gen Pixel Buds that we don't know a great deal about.

But the search giant may have inadvertently revealed a key feature of the upcoming Pixel Buds 2 (name unconfirmed) by enabling said feature on its original wireless earbuds, released all the way back in 2017. Curiously enough, the new functionality on the old Pixel Buds seems to be broken for the time being, which might suggest this isn't something that was supposed to go live until next week.

Of course, those are nothing but assumptions, so let's back up a little and focus on what we know. As discovered by 9To5Google, an option to activate "Hey Google" support has surfaced "in the past 24 hours" for a number of Pixel Buds owners on their Bluetooth-connected Android phones. Said option offers to use Voice Match technology to access Google Assistant with a focus on privacy and security on Pixel Buds completely hands-free.

In other words, whenever the feature will actually be made to work, Pixel Buds users will be able to summon their virtual assistant on their wireless earbuds without interacting with said audio accessories by touch. Currently, Google Assistant initiation is only possible by touching and holding the right earbud, which is already pretty cool. But hands-free voice assistance is undoubtedly even cooler, especially with Voice Match ensuring the rightful owner of Google's Pixel Buds is trying to activate Google Assistant by saying the popular hotword.

If you're interested in buying the first-gen Pixel Buds, you should keep in mind these bad boys are not "true" wireless earbuds, featuring a cord that holds the two buds together at all times. Oh, and they're also pretty expensive, at $159.