Google has made the Pixel Buds series a little worse by removing the ability to tap-and-hold on the earbuds’ touch interface to have Google Assistant read out notifications.
Both the Pixel Buds Pro and Buds Pixel Buds A-Series both recently lost the feature and when users raised concerns about it, Google confirmed on the Google Assistant Help forum that it intentionally removed the feature:
“Based on your feedback, we are here to announce that we will be making the following changes to your Google Assistant notifications on Pixel Buds while we evaluate further changes to notifications. Assistant will no longer read unread notifications when using the press Assistant feature. Assistant will also no longer read unread notifications automatically and allow you to reply.” [emphasis theirs]
Instead, Pixel Buds owners now need to activate Google Assistant first and say, “Read my notifications.”
Worse, Google goes on to thank users for their feedback that “enables us to improve your experience,” which comes off poorly given the removal of a feature people liked.
For one, the change removes the ability for people to discreetly make Assistant read notifications. Now anyone using the buds in a public place, such as riding on a train or in an office environment, needs to speak a command rather than just press the earbuds. Moreover, several users took to Reddit to complain that the change has degraded the experience in other ways, such as by no longer resuming what was playing once the buds finished reading notifications.
Overall, it’s a bummer to see the shortcut removed. Hopefully there’s enough pushback to sway Google and bring the feature back.
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