Google improves Bluetooth Fast Pairing feature for Android, Chromebook devices

When Google first announced Fast Pair, a feature that streamlined the process of pairing a Bluetooth accessory with an Android device, it was impressive, but limited to a single device.

Similar to the pairing process for Apple's AirPods, Fast Pair enabled devices only need to be placed next to an Android device to begin the pairing process. An alert is displayed on the device's screen, and with a tap the pairing process is complete.

The only downside is that Fast Pair devices were only paired with a single device, and the process had to be repeated with each device the user owns.

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Starting today, Fast Pair will sync your Fast Pair connections between your current and future Android (6.0 and up) devices. The feature is expected to come to Chromebooks in 2019.

Syncing Bluetooth pairing between Android devices is similar to Apple's approach, again, with its AirPods (and for that matter, all Bluetooth headphones equipped with Apple's W1 chip), where the information is instantly synced between all iOS and Mac OS devices that share the same iCloud account.

Presumably, Fast Pair will use a Google account to sync the relevant pairing information between devices.

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Google continues to work with hardware partners, primarily headphone makers, to ensure devices work with Fast Pair. The company specifically mentions Jaybir's Tarah Wireless Sport headphones (be sure to read Matthew Miller's hands-on), as well as forthcoming products from Anker SoundCore and Bose.

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