Pixel Buds feature drop adds bass boost, sharing detection, attention alerts, and more

Just like it had promised, Google today announced the first-ever feature drop for its Pixel Buds, the truly wireless earbuds that launched earlier this year. The update adds a ton of functionality, starting with bass boost, which will let users adjust the intensity of the bass from the Pixel Buds settings.

Another significant new addition is support for sharing detection. When your phone detects that you're sharing your Pixel Buds with someone, and each person is only wearing one, each user will be able to use touch controls to control the volume only for their earbud.

Google is also expanding the Pixel Buds translation capabilities, and in addition to conversational mode, there's now transcribe mode. It will basically interpret text in different languages to your native language, but it's designed for longer periods of listening, rather than back-and-forth conversations. It's also possible to see the transcribed text in writing on your phone, if you want to.

Attention alerts are also being added, which means the Pixel Buds will be listening for certain sounds, like a baby's cry, a dog barking, or sirens, and temporarily lower the volume so you can be more aware of your surroundings. This can be enabled individually for each kind of sound, so you won't be interrupted unless you want to.

Finding your Pixel Buds should be easier after this update, since not only can you ring them, you can also see where they are on a map now, even if they've disconnected from your phone.

Finally, Google has added more Assistant features to the Pixel Buds, making it easier to turn touch controls on or off using your voice, or letting you ask the Assistant how much battery the earbuds have left. All of these features are rolling out starting today.