Google is removing a feature from Pixel Buds Pro that lets users touch and hold an earbud to hear unread notifications. In an update on Tuesday, Google confirmed that Assistant “will no longer read unread notifications when the 'Press Assistant' feature is used.”
Additionally, according to Google, the Assistant will no longer automatically notify you of unread notifications on the Pixel Buds or let you respond to them. Instead, you can hear notifications by activating the Assistant and saying “Read my notifications,” Google says.
The touch and hold gesture on the Pixel Buds Pro currently allows wearers to switch between active noise cancellation and transparency mode by default. Before this change, users could configure this gesture to have the Assistant read notifications aloud.
Last week, Pixel Buds Pro users discovered that they couldn't hear their notifications using the touch and hold button, but Google hasn't confirmed the removal of this feature until now.
The change, which Google says is based on user feedback, comes about a week before the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are released. It looks like there are more tweaks to come, as Google says it will “evaluate further changes to notifications.”