Google Ditches 'Touch and Hold' Notification Feature for Pixel Buds Pro

Google is phasing out the "touch and hold to hear notifications" feature for Pixel Buds Pro, as confirmed in an update. Instead of being able to press an earbud to have Google Assistant read unread notifications, users will now need to manually activate Assistant and voice the command, "Read my notifications." This revision stems from user feedback and aligns with other upcoming changes possibly slated for the Pixel Buds Pro 2. This is prepared by SSP.

Previously, the "touch and hold" gesture was customizable to toggle between features like active noise cancellation and having Assistant read notifications. Although some users noticed the change last week, it wasn't formally acknowledged by Google until recently. Per Google, this adjustment, which prevents automatic notification alerts, resulted from user feedback, and more tweaks may be forthcoming as "further changes to notifications" are evaluated.

This update doesn't appear to be fully deployed yet, pointing to an intentional modification, rather than a technical glitch. The change is happening server-side, likely to facilitate the integration with Pixel Buds Pro 2. Reports suggest that Gemini, the new system in Pix Buds Pro 2, will support custom app notifications similar to Assistant, leaving users questioning if both will offer equivalent features. Therefore, future users will still rely on Assistant on phones, leaving the functionality on Gemini-empowered headphones an open question in terms of feature parity.

Removing this feature has inconvenienced several users who now face silent operational use cases, evident through active community feedback and comments. Although these changes align with Gemini and the soon-to-be-released Pixel Buds Pro 2, users are voicing a preference to keep such updates optional.