Summary
- Google’s Android 15 Beta 2 brings back the volume control feature for casting to speakers, lost during the legal battle with Sonos.
- This convenient feature allows users to control speaker volume while casting music, enhancing the audio experience for Pixel device owners.
- Pixel users can now look forward to enjoying simultaneous music streaming on speaker groups while directly adjusting volume from their phones.
We have been excited about all the new features coming to our Android devices with the latest iteration called Android 15 Beta 2.1. There is a lot to love, including Private Space, App archiving, partial screen recording, and more. Things are also about to improve for Pixel users, as Google has also reinstated a very convenient feature that was removed to avoid issues in the long-lasting legal dispute with Sonos.
Google rushes out Android 15 Beta 2.1 to fix issues with private space
All Pixel devices enrolled in the beta program will receive the update
The latest information from Android expert Mishaal Rahman writing for Android Authority claims that Google’s second beta version of Android 15 brought back a volume-related feature removed from Pixel phones some time ago. To be more accurate, Pixel users can once again control speakers’ volume while casting.
This may not seem like much, but it is necessary, especially if you have one or more speaker groups in your Google Home app. This feature lets you cast your favorite music simultaneously to the speakers while controlling the volume directly from your phone, without having to stand up and regulate the volume directly on your speakers.
You only need to keep the music streaming app open, and you will oversee any additional adjustments on the go. Opening a second app on top wouldn’t suggest a problem for most Android devices, as users would still be able to control the volume of their speakers by tapping the volume buttons on their devices.
How were Pixel users affected by this legal battle?
Unfortunately, the convenience of controlling volume while casting was disrupted for Pixel users due to a legal dispute between Google and Sonos. The dispute, centered around alleged patent infringements, directly affected Pixel users for several years. Luckily, the dispute was ultimately resolved, with Sonos’ patents being deemed unenforceable, allowing Google to restore this feature. As reported by Reuters, U.S. District Judge William Alsup said that Sonos “had improperly tried to connect its patents for multi-room audio technology to a 2006 application to claim that its inventions predated Google’s devices.”
Pixel users can look forward to regaining the ability to control the volume of their Google Home speaker groups while casting on a more stable version of Android, making their audio experience even more enjoyable. As ever, we’d recommend waiting until the final version of Android 15 to download the software as the current version is likely to feature bugs and problems for you.
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