The latest Pixel Buds A-Series firmware has an unexpected side effect, killing multi-device pairing.
The Pixel Buds A-Series can be paired with multiple devices, even if they cannot simultaneously connect to multiple devices. Even so, it’s relatively easy to switch to another paired device and takes much less time than going through the pairing process all over again.
Unfortunately, according to a Reddit thread, it appears the latest firmware update breaks that multi-device pairing, leaving the earbuds able to connect only to the last device. For example, when a user goes to connect to a second, previously paired device, the earbuds will no longer connect. Instead, the user has to re-pair the earbuds with the second device, and then go through the process all over again when trying to connect to the first paired device.
User TenderFlipper was the first to describe the issue:
This update seems to have broken the ability to pair with multiple devices. I realize that the A series can only connect with one device at a time, but in the past it’s been perfectly happy being paired with both my phone and notebook.
After the update, it’s only able to be used by the last device which was paired. In other words, if I pair my notebook then my phone loses the ability to connect. If I then follow up by re-pairing my phone, then the notebook can no longer. Repeat ad nauseam (I’ve tried quite a few times at this point).
So far there has been no acknowledgement of the issue from Google, so one can only hope it’s a bug that will be addressed soon. Given that the Pro version of the earbuds has the ability to connect to multiple devices simultaneously, hopefully the latest firmware’s behavior is not an intentional attempt to further differentiate the two models.