The stable build of Android Q is coming in the next couple of months and it brings to the table expanded support for their Bluetooth ‘Fast Pair’ feature. This will make it easier for you to connect truly wireless earbuds to the smartphone, along with support for Find My Device, and a detailed view of your wireless headsets.
Fast Pair, if you don’t already know, is designed to improve Bluetooth pairing on Android devices and make the setup process effortless – like AirPods and iPhones. It’s at a pretty nascent stage right now but Android Q will see your device recognize headphones placed next to it, show you a pop-up notification to pair, thus, simplifying the process.
Well, this feature brings in tow a number of cool advancements in tow. One of the most essential features is battery status and Google is aware of how important it is. So, you’ll soon be able to see individual battery information for the case and buds of truly wireless earbuds through Fast Pair. You’ll receive notifications for how much battery is remaining in your charging case and each earbud.
That individual battery notification will take you to a newly designed Bluetooth device details page which shows the battery levels at the top. It is followed by Find My Device settings, Assistant, notifications, and sound equalizer options. This new page is the one-stop-shop for managing the settings of your wireless headphones.
The best thing, however, is that fast pair devices (mostly audio accessories for now) are going to be available for tracking via the Find My Device service. You will be able to see your earbud’s location and time when you last used it, ring the earbuds or unpair them.
Fast Pair was first made accessible with the Jaybird Tarah. Google did demo a handful of headphones/earphones supporting the Fast Share feature earlier this year at Google I/O, however, it has now released a complete list of Fast Pair devices:
- Anker Spirit Pro GVA
- Anker SoundCore Flare+ (Speaker)
- JBL Live 220BT
- JBL Live 400BT
- JBL Live 500BT
- JBL Live 650BT
- Jaybird Tarah
- 1More Dual Driver BT ANC
- LG HBS-SL5
- LG HBS-PL6S
- LG HBS-SL6S
- LG HBS-PL5
- Cleer Ally Plus
The names seen above are just some of the initial OEM/ODM partners who are making Android’s Fast Pair feature available on their audio accessories. Google is working with several other audio bigwigs to bring support for Fast Pair out-of-the-box, just like how Google Assistant integrations are finding their way to more headphones.
