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Google will use Fast Pair to sync Bluetooth connections across Android phones
- Fast Pair is Google’s set of specs that makes it easy to connect Bluetooth audio accessories to Android devices.
- The Fast Pair connection will now be synced and shared with other Android devices using the user’s Google Account.
- Google will add Fast Pair support to Chromebooks in 2019.
Google introduced Fast Pair last year that allows audio devices like headphones and speakers to pair with Android phones by simply turning the accessory on and tapping on a pop-up. All of this work is done using a Bluetooth low energy broadcast and a bit of communication with a Google server.
Announced on the Android Developers Blog, Google is now adding a feature to the spec that allows the Fast Pair connection to be Shared. Basically, after the initial pairing, the connection will be synced through the user’s Google account and shared with other Android 6.0 phones.
On top of this news, Google announced that support for Fast Pair and this new syncing feature is coming to Chromebooks in 2019.
Read next: Android Pie lets you simultaneously connect up to five Bluetooth audio devices to your phone
As anyone who has ever used Bluetooth knows, sometimes the connection between your phone and the audio device just stops working. To fix this, it’s usually easiest to disconnect and then repair the two devices. The question that remains is if these steps will mess up the Fast Pair syncing across Android devices. We will have to wait and find out when the feature has been rolled out.
Since the launch of Fast Pair, a number of headphones like the Jaybird Tarah Wireless Sport have launched with the feature included. Google states to be working with Anker SoundCore, Bose, and others to include the Fast Pair spec in other upcoming audio products.
And to make it easier for companies to add Fast Pair to its products, Google has worked with Airoha Technology Corp., BES and Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd. (QTIL) to add the spec to their software development kits. By providing the tools to implement the spec, companies have to decide to add Fast Pair compatibility or not.
What do you think about this new functionality? Do you already own any Fast Pair-compatible headphones or speakers? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!