Google is working on new gestures for the Pixel Buds

Google's Pixel Buds felt pretty unpolished upon release, but it doesn't look like the tech titan has completely forgotten about them. 9to5Google has discovered a couple of new features for the Pixel Buds hidden in the latest beta version of the Google app. The publication has decompiled the beta app's APK and found lines of codes that hint at new double and triple tap features for the earbuds. When you double tap the right earbud right now, it will list all Assistant features you can use or pause Assistant while it's speaking. But in the future, you can also use the gesture to skip to the next track while you're listening to music.

Google also seems to be working on two new ways to manually switch the earbuds off: one is by triple tapping on the right earbud and the other is by taking the right earbud off. The latter is an evolution of a smart detection feature that's been present in the beta app's APKs for quite a while. Mountain View envisioned the gesture as a way to pause music, but the company must have decided that double tapping is a better option for that.

Right now, the only way to switch off the earbuds is to put them back in their charging case. Two new manual methods to do so, if Google indeed decides to roll these out as actual features, would make saving the devices' battery life much easier.