Notifications for Google Pixel Buds

With the Google Pixel Buds, your Assistant can give you updates on your daily itinerary, recent messages, emails, or calendar events without you having to look at your phone.

The Google Assistant on Google Pixel Buds is only available on Android and requires an Assistant-enabled Android device and data connection. Data rates may apply. For minimum requirements, go here. A Google account is required for full access to features.

Note: Notifications must be enabled in the Assistant settings menu in order for this feature to work. You will also need to grant the Google app access to your notifications. Notifications may not work with all apps.

Spoken Notifications

When you are wearing your Pixel Buds, the Google Assistant will tell you when you have a notification as the phone receives them. For important notifications, a chime will play and a summary of the notification will be read.

You can choose to hear the full message by double tapping the right earbud. If you don't take action on a notification, your Assistant will temporarily play a chime for subsequent messages from the same sender and not read the summaries.

Getting Notifications

To hear notifications, simply double tap the right earbud. Your Assistant will then read the notifications you may have missed within the last hour. You can choose to stop your Assistant at any time by double tapping the right earbud.

Replying to Notifications

To reply to a text notification, wait for your Assistant to finish reading you the message, then touch and hold the right earbud when prompted and begin speaking.

Note: Google Pixel Buds do not currently support replying to SMS text messages.

Examples of important notifications

Messages

You Assistant will read your latest messages back to you and prompt you to respond if you'd like.

Emails

If you're too busy to sit and sift through your recent emails, your Assistant will read them to you while you're on the go.

Calendar Events

If a meeting or an event on your calendar gets rescheduled, your Assistant will let you know so you can arrive right on time.

Traffic Updates

Your Assistant will notify you of any accidents or detours that may extend your usual commute so you can plan accordingly.

Flight Changes

If you're in a hurry to make your flight, your Assistant will inform you of any changes made to your departure time.

Internet connection required. Fees may apply.

Configuring Notifications

To manage your spoken notifications, navigate to your Pixel Buds settings by opening your Assistant.

To open your Assistant, press and hold the home button on your Android phone.

With your Assistant open, tap Headphones Settings.

You will then be able to move the "Spoken notifications" slider to the right to enable spoken notifications .

Enabling Notifications after initial setup

If you didn't enable notifications from the Google app in the initial setup, you can do so by navigating to Android settings.

To do so, open Android Settings then tap Notification accessGoogle.

You will then be able to move the slider to the right to allow Google Notification Access.

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