Pixel Buds App Update Adds Gemini as Connected App for Voice-Controlled Audio Settings

Google has begun rolling out a Pixel Buds companion app update that integrates Gemini as a Connected App, enabling voice control over earbud settings. The update, version 1.0.981607934, is now widely available via the Play Store, according to 9to5Google.

With the update installed, users can issue commands such as "Hey Google, turn up the bass" or "Hey Google, turn on noise cancellation" to adjust EQ presets, ANC mode, conversation detection, and touch controls without opening a separate app. Triggering these commands brings up the Gemini overlay with a "Connecting to Pixel Buds" message and verbal confirmation. On devices that haven't received the app update, the same voice commands instead default to opening the system Bluetooth settings page — the prior behavior.

This rollout follows Google's announcement at the Pixel 11 launch, where the company previewed a broader Pixel Buds update slated for September. The Gemini Connected App integration is the first piece of that promised update to ship. Three additional features Google previewed have not yet appeared and reportedly require a firmware update rather than just an app update:

• Dynamic ANC for Pixel Buds Pro 2, which adjusts noise cancellation in real time to "compensate when subtle shifts in the seal happen," such as when the buds shift position in the ear.
• Pixel Watch sleep sync, which will pause music, disable touch controls, and silence notifications on Pixel Buds when the paired Pixel Watch detects the wearer has fallen asleep.
• Live translate activation via tap, allowing users to trigger Google's Live Translate feature directly from the earbuds with a touch gesture rather than through the phone.

Google has not disclosed a timeline for when the firmware update carrying these three features will ship.

What this means

This is a software plumbing change, not a new AI capability in itself — Gemini already handled general voice queries, but Pixel Buds settings previously routed around it into system-level Bluetooth menus. Registering Pixel Buds as a formal "Connected App" inside Gemini is Google's broader pattern of turning Gemini into the default control layer across its hardware, following similar integrations with Home devices and Wear OS. The near-term impact for users is minor convenience: fewer taps to change ANC or EQ settings. The more interesting piece — Dynamic ANC, sleep sync, and tap-to-translate — is still gated behind a firmware update Google hasn't shipped yet, meaning the headline features from the Pixel 11 launch event remain undelivered a month later. That gap between announcement and shipped firmware is common for Google hardware updates, but it means today's app update is a partial rollout, not the full feature set Google promised in September.