One of the reasons for the success of Apple is its ecosystem. The ease with which its devices communicate with each other and that everything is synchronized under the same account so that the configuration and pairing of new members is simple.
This is something that Google wants to improve: its ecosystem. Greater interaction between different products , regardless of whether they run Android on smartphones. Chrome OS on laptops, or PCs and other systems. It has shown it at CES 2022 with the announcement of the arrival of Fast Pair in the operating systems for Chromebooks and Google TV.
What is Fast Pair?
When an iPhone user buys AirPods and opens them while they are near the smartphone. A notification appears on the screen that takes up part of the screen. It allows them to be quickly set up and associated with the iCloud account with just one touch. This is one of the possibilities of Fast Pair on Android. But open to many more headphone models from all kinds of manufacturers. In April 2021, more than 100 compatible headphones from brands such as JBL, Sony, Jabra or the Pixel Buds themselves were counted.
Fast Pair is a technology that is integrated into Google Play Services (minimum version 11.7) and compatible with Android 6.0 or later devices (it is important to have Play Services notifications enabled so that there are no problems). However, to fully exploit the possibilities, a device running Android 10.0 or later is required. For example, to find them through Find My Device if they are lost, ring them to locate them more quickly, rename them, and adjust audio settings. The magic is also produced thanks to Bluetooth Low Energy or BLE, which allows the connection between devices while maintaining low energy consumption.
While many true wireless Bluetooth headsets on the market today support Fast Pair, you shouldn’t risk buying one without checking first. The best way to make sure is by going to the brand’s website and the product sheet to look for references to this function .
Aside from Bluetooth headsets, Fast Pair is also available for certain speakers with this connectivity or some Fitbit wearables , such as the Fitbit Sense . According to Google’s plans, it is not unreasonable to think that this quick configuration will expand to “smart” watches with Wear OS or devices with Google TV type Chromecast in the coming months.
To recap, the requirements to use Fast Pair are Play Services 11.7 or higher and Android 6.0 or higher, preferably Android 10.0 or higher to fully exploit advanced customization capabilities.
Fast Pair Compatible Bluetooth Headphones:
OnePlus Buds Z2:
One of the latest Bluetooth headphones compatible with Fast Pair is the OnePlus Buds Z2 ( 81.64 euros ). With 11 mm dynamic drivers optimized for bass, they have active noise cancellation capable of blocking, according to the firm, up to 40 dB and they have Transparency Mode. They include three microphones for calibration and wind noise reduction, Dolby Atmos and an ultra-low latency of 94 ms. They are resistant to water and sweat (IP55) and use Bluetooth 5.2.
Realme Buds Air 2:
Even cheaper are the realme Buds Air 2 ( 45.34 euros ). These Bluetooth headphones have 10mm drivers, AAC and SBC support, and 25dB active noise cancellation . Functional on both Android and iOS, its autonomy is around four hours per charge (with ANC) and 25 hours taking advantage of the case. They have IPX5 protection and fast charging.
