Android Fast Pair feature gets new interface for first-time connections

Google reportedly rolled out a new interface for Android’s ‘Fast Pair’ capability that more closely resembles how AirPods connect to iPhones.

Fast Pair, for those unfamiliar, was first launched in 2017. The software makes it easier for users to connect support Bluetooth devices to their Android smartphones. Typically, when you open the lid of supported Bluetooth earbuds, or turn on wireless headphones, a Fast Pair notification will appear on your smartphone. With a tap, users can initiate the pairing process.

9to5Google reports that Google has replaced the notification with a new card that pops-up from the bottom of the screen. The pop-up covers roughly half of the display and shows the Bluetooth device the user is trying to connect. It also features a large, blue ‘Connect’ button. Once paired, users can hop into ‘Setup’ or close the pop-up.

For anyone who’s connected AirPods to an iPhone before, the new Fast Pair interface will look awfully familiar. The card pop-up is nearly identical to the one shown when you connect AirPods to an iPhone for the first time.

Although Google added the new revamped interface, not all of Fast Pair has changed. The new card appears when users connect a support Fast Pair device for the first time. Beyond that, Fast Pair still displays the typical notification for battery status and subsequent pairings.

It’s worth noting that since Fast Pair can link paired earbuds to your Google Account, connecting a Fast Pair device to other Android phones will display the smaller card as well.

If you got a new set of Fast Pair-capable earbuds over the holidays, you may notice the new interface when you connect them to your Android phone for the first time.

Image credit: 9to5Google

Source: 9to5Google