Pixel Buds Pro 2 adds Dynamic ANC in new firmware update

The Pixel Buds firmware update, software release 6.144, brings four headline features:

• Dynamic ANC (Pixel Buds Pro 2 only): noise cancellation that adjusts automatically to your ear seal.
• Tap to Mute: mute and unmute your microphone during calls by tapping an earbud. This needs a paired Pixel phone.
• Sleep auto-pause: media pauses when your Pixel Watch detects you have fallen asleep.
• Enhanced Live Translate: start translating with a tap on the earbuds while your phone stays in your pocket.

Google previewed these features in August, alongside its Pixel 11 launch, and said they would arrive after a September app update.

Active noise cancellation works by listening to the sound around you and playing an opposite signal to cancel it out. It works best when the earbud sits snugly. When an earbud shifts slightly as you walk, talk or chew, that seal changes, and noise can leak in.

Dynamic ANC is Google’s answer. The Pro 2 now detects those subtle shifts and adjusts audio or noise cancellation to compensate, so the quiet should stay more consistent through the day. Anyone who has had to keep pushing an earbud back into place on a busy street will know why that matters.

This is the only feature in the update that is exclusive to the Pixel Buds Pro 2. Pixel Buds 2a owners get everything else.

Tap to Mute is the kind of feature you will use constantly once you have it. Instead of grabbing your phone to mute yourself on a call, you tap the bud. It requires a Pixel phone, so owners with other Android phones will miss out on this one.

The sleep feature links your earbuds to a Pixel Watch. When the watch senses you have nodded off, the buds pause whatever is playing, turn off touch gestures so rolling onto a pillow does not restart a podcast, and silence notifications. Without a Pixel Watch, this feature will not work.

Enhanced Live Translate builds on Google Translate. You can talk with someone in another language, or use listening mode to follow what is being said around you, and kick it off with a touch on the earbuds. Google said in August that the earbud translation feature covers more than 70 languages.

For Pixel Buds Pro 2 owners, this is a worthwhile upgrade that makes two-year-old earbuds feel more current. For Pixel Buds 2a owners, you get most of the same new tools, minus Dynamic ANC.

It also builds on last month’s Gemini update. Since late September, the Pixel Buds app has let you change settings by voice, for example asking Gemini to turn up the bass, switch noise control modes or adjust touch controls. That needs Gemini set as the assistant on a compatible Android phone. When it works, a short Connecting to Pixel Buds message appears before Gemini confirms the change out loud and on screen. If your app is out of date, the same request may simply open Android’s Bluetooth settings page instead, which is a good clue that you need to update.

Google also added a new olive-green color for the Pro 2 in August, so the earbuds are clearly staying in the lineup for now.

If you have the original Pixel Buds Pro, the news is less good. Google contacted reporters the day after the announcement to clarify that the first-generation Pro, which it had initially listed, will not get these features, and it removed that model from its post.

1. Open the Play Store and update the Pixel Buds app to the latest version.
2. Put your earbuds in or open the case near your phone so they connect.
3. Open the Pixel Buds app, scroll down to More settings and tap Firmware update.
4. Look for release 6.144 and install it, keeping the buds charged and close to the phone until it finishes.

If you do not see it yet, check back later. Google is releasing the update gradually, so it may take a while to reach every pair.