Google brings again quantity controls for speaker teams to Pixels with Android 15 Beta 2

The second beta of Android 15, launched final week, introduced some long-awaited options for Pixel customers. Whereas the revamped quantity panel UI got here as no shock, one characteristic was surprising: the return of speaker group quantity controls whereas casting. This can be a operate that had been eliminated as a result of a authorized dispute with Sonos.As detailed in a current Android Authority publish, when casting audio from a cellphone to a speaker group – a set of Assistant-enabled units like Nest Hubs arrange within the Google Dwelling app – customers can often management the quantity of all the group with their cellphone’s quantity keys. Nevertheless, this performance had been lacking on Pixel units for a while. This was as a result of a lawsuit filed by Sonos in opposition to Google for alleged patent infringement. The authorized battle prompted Google to disable a number of options, together with speaker group quantity controls on Pixel telephones, as a precautionary measure.For Pixel customers, this meant that controlling the quantity of speaker teams was solely attainable whereas the casting app remained open. Closing the app meant dropping management of the group quantity. In the meantime, different Android units remained unaffected, because the lawsuit was completely in opposition to Google.

Nevertheless, a change occurred in late 2023 when a California decide overturned the jury verdict that had favored Sonos. Google responded by promptly restoring the power so as to add Nest units to a number of speaker teams. Regardless of this, the quantity management operate remained disabled on Pixel telephones till now.

With the arrival of Android 15 Beta 2, this performance has lastly been restored. In keeping with the supply, Google had launched a flag named config_volumeAdjustmentForRemoteGroupSessions in 2021, which managed platform-level quantity changes for grouped units. Whereas this flag was enabled by default within the Android Open Supply Undertaking (AOSP), it was overridden for Pixel units. This has now been reversed within the Android 15 Beta 2 builds for Pixel telephones, bringing again the speaker group quantity controls.