(Update: 9/17 3:30 PM ET): Updated the article with Google's statement about the Assistant changes for the Pixel Buds Pro.
What you need to know
- Reports have cropped up on Reddit from Pixel Buds Pro owners stating the Assistant will no longer read their notifications using the "touch-and-hold" control.
- Instead, the assistant is reportedly informing users that the control will "no longer work" and that they must say "read notifications" aloud.
- It's unclear if this is a server-side update making its rounds or an odd bug.
- The Pixel Buds Pro 2 was announced in August and it offers a deep integration with Google's Gemini.
The convenience of hearing your notifications read out to you has disappeared for some, creating quite a stir.
Previously, users could press and hold the colored part of their Pixel Buds Pro to have the assistant read their notifications. However, according to a report on Reddit, the earbuds now deliver a new warning (via 9to5Google) instead of the expected behavior. After pressing and holding an earbud, the user claims the assistant says "touch and hold won't read notifications anymore."
Google's assistant then stated the user would need to say "read notifications" aloud after calling it forward with "Hey Google."
The issues don't end there as others reported that their Pixel Buds Pro have stopped informing them of new messages/notifications.
The (odd) change seems to have happened recently with users reporting issues over the past two days, and another thread from almost 24 hours ago. One of the problems users have continuously voiced is the "touch & hold" option was convenient and, most of all, silent. Many comments involve users stating the private and non-verbal way of listening to their notifications made the Pixel Buds Pro appealing.
Touch and hold wont read notifications anymore. from r/pixelbuds
The folks at 9to5 suggest this could deal with Google's recent enabling of the "Hey Google" command from phone to buds. However, others aren't so sure as they're aware of Pixel Buds Pro 2, which should start arriving at doorsteps later in September. Additionally, the publication hasn't noticed the change appear on its Pixel Buds Pro.
There's speculation that the change to the assistant's touch-and-hold behavior is a server-side update that is still making its rounds.
Android Central has reached out to Google about these issues with the Pixel Buds Pro and the Assistant. We will update this article when we hear back.
Google launched the Pixel Buds Pro 2 during its event in August. The buds arrived at $229, packing a new Tensor A1 chip and some beefed-up audio over its predecessor. The chip aids the Pro 2's drivers in delivering clear, powerful audio, improving call clarity, and reducing background noise. Moreover, the Buds Pro 2 offers a deep integration with Google's Gemini.
The company states users can lean on its AI smarts for assistance without reaching for their phones. There have been several signs that Google is moving to phase out the Assistant in favor of Gemini in several areas. Perhaps this change to the touch-and-hold control is one of those instances — but it's still a bummer.
Update
Google responded to Android Central about the recent Assistant changes, stating "based on user feedback, we made several changes to Google Assistant notifications on Pixel Buds while we evaluate further changes to notifications."
The company provided a follow-up post about it through a community post. Google has confirmed that the Assistant will no longer work when using the press & hold method for unread notifications. Additionally, the Assistant will no longer let users reply using the press/hold function.
Google reiterates that users must now say "Hey Google, read my notifications" aloud for it to work.
