Account-based Fast Pair quietly arrives for Chromebooks [VIDEO]

With all the drama and instability surrounding the roll-out of ChromeOS 119, it was bound to happen that we’d miss a few details here and there. I said as much when we covered some of the new stuff in the 119 update, and it turns out I was right. In the midst of new features and fixes, Google snuck in an addition to an existing feature that I’ve been waiting on for quite some time: account-level connected devices via Fast Pair.

Wait, wasn’t Fast Pair already a thing?

For many versions of ChromeOS, Google has touted Fast Pair as a headlining feature of ChromeOS. Since the 111 release back in the spring of 2023, the ability to quickly connect to Fast Pair-enabled accessories has been a viable feature for Chromebooks and I’m happy that it exists. But the full power of Fast Pair has not been fully available to Chromebook users, and I’m excited that it is finally here.

So what am I talking about? Account-based Fast Pairing. Just like we see with Apple’s ecosystem, Fast Pair was always supposed to provide both a quick and easy initial pairing process along with the ability for newly-connected accessories to be managed and connected to other Android or ChromeOS devices from an account-based level as well.

That means if I pair up a Fast Pair-enabled set of earbuds like the Wyze Buds Pro, I should see those earbuds in my account on my Chromebook ready for connection when I choose to leverage them. But that hasn’t been the case up to this point. Sure, the initial connection is swift and simple, but the devices were never shown in Bluetooth settings and there was never any indication that my Chromebook knew I had an account-level connection to my earbuds. But that exists now.

Account-level Fast Pairing for ChromeOS

As you can see in my Bluetooth settings in ChromeOS 119, I have a whole section that showcases my account-connected accessories. I can remove them from my account with the 3-dot menus and, more importantly, know that when I activate any of these devices near my Chromebook, I can count on a simple and swift connection process without having to go through the entire pairing process again.

This is part of the Fast Pair process I’ve been waiting on to arrive, and I’m so excited it is here. It makes my accessories feel far more nimble and available since I can disconnect and reconnect to all my devices with ease. And with accessories that support multi-point connections, I can switch back and forth between them just as easily without needing to disconnect anything. It really is a great touch!

I can see why Google wouldn’t make a huge deal out of this since Fast Pair has technically been here for most of the year, but this little tweak to it really makes the whole experience feel far more cohesive. I’m glad it’s finally here and as users begin realizing their devices truly are connected at an account level, I’m certain it will increase the likelihood of them leveraging this fun ability to bounce between devices with ease.