Google has started rolling out a firmware update to the Pixel Buds Pro, Pixel Buds Pro 2 and Pixel Buds 2a that the company itself is calling "massive," and for once the feature list backs that up.
The update, labeled software release_6.144, brings most of its changes to all three earbuds at once. The one exception is Dynamic Active Noise Cancellation, which Google says will arrive only on the Pixel Buds Pro 2. That feature adjusts audio and noise cancellation on the fly based on how well the buds are sealed in your ear, compensating for what Google calls "subtle shifts" as the buds move during the day. Google had already teased this ANC upgrade back when the Pixel 11 launched, but confirmation of a release date came only this week.
What else is in the update
The bigger change for most owners is Enhanced Live Translate. It lets you start translating a conversation with a tap on the earbuds, no phone required, and it leans on the Google Translate app to do the work in the background. Google describes it as useful both for talking directly with someone and for passive listening mode, where the buds translate ambient speech in a language you don't know.
Tap to Mute lets you mute or unmute the microphone mid-call by tapping the buds, though Google notes this only works when the earbuds are paired with a Pixel phone. There's also a new auto-pause feature that stops media playback once you fall asleep, a state the buds infer from Pixel Watch sleep sensing. Once triggered, it also disables touch gestures and silences notifications, so a sleeping listener doesn't wake up to a misfired tap or a buzzing alert.
None of this is arriving in isolation. Last month, Google updated the Pixel Buds companion app with the ability to toggle Active Noise Cancellation, adjust EQ, and run touch controls through Gemini voice commands. This week's firmware update builds directly on top of that, giving the buds themselves the hardware-side hooks the app update needed.
There's a small wrinkle worth noting. When Google previewed several of these features back in August, it didn't say the original Pixel Buds Pro from 2022 would get them too. It turns out the four-year-old earbuds are included after all, missing out only on the Pro 2's ear-seal-based ANC tuning.
Google says the rollout is happening now, though as with most staged firmware pushes it may take a few days to reach every unit. Owners can check their status by opening the Pixel Buds app and going to More settings, then Firmware update, to confirm they're on release_6.144. No word yet on whether any of these features are headed to a future Pixel Buds model, since Google skipped a hardware refresh when the Pixel 11 launched this past summer.
GDFiled by The Gadgets Desk
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