If you read our review of the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2, you'll see that these new wireless earbuds come with built-in access to Google's AI assistant, Gemini. But you might not need to upgrade, as we've heard that Gemini support is rolling out to older Pixel Buds, too.
The news came via emails sent to current Pixel Buds owners, as reported by 9to5Google. As long as you have Gemini set up as an assistant on your Android phone instead of Google Assistant, you'll be able to access it through your earbuds.
The way the “Hey Google” command works has also been changed: it can now launch Gemini and will no longer be a separate setting on your Android phone. Instead, you can enable hands-free voice access in the Gemini app.
For more information, visit Gemini’s updated support page on Pixel Buds. This change applies to all previous models: Pixel Buds, Pixel Buds Pro, Pixel Buds A-Series, and the new Pixel Buds Pro 2.
Gemini takes control
Please note that Gemini is not yet available worldwide, so if it's not available in your country, you'll have to wait to get the update. In the meantime, you'll still be able to access the Google Assistant through your headphones.
Google is working at full speed to replace Google Assistant with the more advanced Gemini across all of its apps and devices. For example, Gemini comes as the default assistant on the new Google Pixel 9 series of phones.
With that in mind, it's no surprise to see Gemini coming to older Pixel Buds models — Gemini's heavy lifting is done on your phone, so it's simply a matter of redirecting the Pixel Buds to the right assistant.
We saw this change coming a few days ago when the feature that allowed the Google Assistant to read incoming phone notifications through older Pixel Buds was removed — now you can get them through Gemini by saying, “Hey Google, read my notifications.”