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Google Pixel 2 woes continue as some users experience issues with Bluetooth headphones

Published Nov 10th, 2017 7:00PM EST
Google Pixel 2 bug
Image: Google

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At this point, I’m convinced that we’ll be reporting on a new Google Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL issue every day until 2018, at the earliest. On Friday, Android Police highlighted the latest in an endless string of issues with Google’s new flagship phones: Pixel 2 owners are reporting that Google Assistant isn’t working with Bluetooth headphones.

According to those affected, the issue crops up whenever Bluetooth headphones with a microphone are connected to the Pixel 2. When users attempt to activate Google Assistant, the headphones make a noise to indicate that they are listening, but the microphone fails to detect their voices. After testing headphones from multiple brands, including Anker, Beats, LG and Plantronics, the users have determined that the bug is hardware agnostic.

Reports of this issue go back at least as far as October 20th, but even the latest software updates haven’t provided a fix. The good news is that the Pixel User Community thread about the problem was initiated by a Google community manager, so Google is aware of it, at the very least. But unlike some of the other (seemingly countless) issues that the Pixel 2 has faced, this one seems to be fairly widespread, as the thread has topped 140 posts.

As troublesome as this issue is on its own (especially coupled with the display burn-in, the phones shipping without operating systems, the faulty mics and everything else), Google is expected to start shipping its AirPod competitors, the Pixel Buds, in the coming days. If those who are experiencing the issue are running into trouble with every pair of headphones they try, presumably the Pixel Buds would be affected as well.

Jacob Siegal
Jacob Siegal Associate Editor

Jacob Siegal is Associate Editor at BGR, having joined the news team in 2013. He has over a decade of professional writing and editing experience, and helps to lead our technology and entertainment product launch and movie release coverage.