Google’s Pixel Buds Pro get conversation detection, clearer calls

Google’s flagship Pixel Buds Pro are about to get some key AI-aided features, including the ability to pause your music during conversations, improved call quality, and alerts for when you’ve cranking your media too high.

The features, which Google announced during its Made by Google event in New York on Wednesday, represent another example of Google’s all-AI-all-the-time pitch, with the tech giant touting the new AI-enabled tools as the “biggest update ever” for its high-end Pixel buds.

First up, Google says it’s improving its Clear Calling technology, which automatically reduces background noise while also enhancing voices during a call. Along with the Clear Calling improvements comes support for Bluetooth Super Wideband Speech, a Bluetooth feature that allows for up to double the bandwidth on voice calls.

Also in the Pixel Buds Pro update is Conversation Detection, which automatically pauses your music and turns on transparency mode when you begin speaking with someone. It’s a feature we’ve already seen on competing earbuds from the likes of Apple and Samsung.

Another new feature for the Pixel Buds app is the ability to monitor your listening habits over time and warn you if you’ve been cranking your tunes too loud. The Hearing Wellness feature will detail your volume levels over the past 24 hours and seven days, and make suggestions if you’ve been consistently dialing up the volume to dangerous levels.

Finally, the update will offer a low latency mode that cuts the latency of the Pixel Buds Pro in half (or so says Google, anyway), ideal for gamers and others who want to boost the responsiveness of their audio.

While no hardware changes are in store for the Pixel Buds Pro, Google did announce a couple of new colors for the earbuds: Bay and Porcelain, which will join the existing Charcoal, Fog, Lemongrass, and Coral flavors.

The Pixel Buds Pro update will begin rolling out today, Google said in a press release.

Updated shortly after publication with availability details for the Pixel Buds Pro update.