This year’s CES will be light on hardware announcements from Google, but the company will unveil many new features in software.
Some important updates to Fast Pair are among the new features, which has primarily been used to pair earbuds. New additions aim to position the feature as a unifying platform between Google devices and even operating systems.
“We’re continuing our work with partners to further extend Fast Pair’s functionality beyond audio connectivity with wearables, headphones, speakers and cars and extending it to TVs and smart home devices, so you can instantly start using all the devices in your life,” the company writes in a blog post.
These additions are part of Google’s move to adopt the Matter standard more broadly, intended to offer a unified platform for smart home devices. Chromebooks now support instant headphone pairing with ChromeOS. The feature will be available in a few weeks.
Also Read: Datatechvibe Explains: Matter
Later this year, meanwhile, owners of new Chromebooks will be able to instantly set up their devices using an Android handset, instantly porting over things like Google logins and Wi-Fi passwords. In addition to the existing ability to unlock Chromebooks via an Android device, Google will be adding the ability to do so with Wear OS as it continues to look toward building a competitive wearable operating system.
Fast Pair will also sync headphones with Google TV and Android TV OS devices in the coming months, while Android’s Matter support will help quickly get a smart home device up and running. Auto switching is coming to Google’s headphones, letting users switch connections between Android devices. That’s also arriving at some point in the coming months, along with spatial audio functionality, as Google looks to compete more directly with Apple’s headphone offerings.
Google is also partnering with third-party manufacturers to build Chromecast functionality into hardware, starting with Bose’s sound bars and smart speakers.
