The Google Pixel Buds Pro just got a lot more user-friendly – thanks to new active noise-cancelling controls (via 9to5Google).
Previously, users wanting to adjust the earbuds' ANC in the Pixel Buds app had to navigate over to 'Sound' and then fiddle with the Active Noise Control strip. Hardly ideal when you're running to catch a train.
To save you from an embarrassing fall, Google has moved the ANC control strip to the top of the Pixel Buds app, making it a lot easier to access. Phew. The same strip also appears in the 'Sounds & vibration' section, meaning it can be tweaked via the volume slider.
There's no need to update the Pixel Buds app; the changes are said to be a 'server-side' update, meaning they should appear automatically. Google has yet to confirm any of this, but it looks like the update is rolling out to Android 13 devices now. We'd expect Android 12 to get the update in short order.
Google's Pixel Buds Pro – a cheaper alternative to the likes of the Apple AirPods 2 (2022) and Sony WF-1000XM4 – went on sale back in July. Total battery life is said to be 31 hours, while multipoint connectivity lets users automatically switch between devices, including iOS and Android.
It's not all good news, though...
Pixel Buds Pro owners are still waiting for the promised spatial audio and volume balance updates. Spatial audio with head tracking, which is not expected to work with iOS devices, is set to arrive in the "coming months". Volume balance, which lets users change the balance between the left and right buds or listen in mono, is "coming soon".
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