How to pair your Pixel Buds Pro with a Chromebook and phone at the same time

The Pixel Buds Pro are here and many of you who ordered them have them in your hands right now. While I’m waiting just a bit to see if Fast Pair works seamlessly on Chromebooks in the near future before putting out a review of the new Google-made earbuds, I’m still using them on a daily basis to enjoy all the benefits that they bring to the table as I prepare my thoughts.

Nearly-seamless Pixel phone and Chromebook integration

One of my favorite things so far is the ability to use Multipoint to be connected to both my Pixel 6 Pro and my current Chromebook (the Acer Chromebook Spin 714) at the exact same time. While you can pair any earbud to more than one device, I’ve yet to have a pair that is connected (not just paired) in real time to both my Chromebook and my phone.

Don’t confuse this with the Audio Switching feature that works in tandem with Fast Pair, however, as that feature utilizes your Google Account to pass the connection from one device to the next. Instead, Multipoint is a bit more straightforward, allowing you to physically pair the Pixel Buds Pro to two devices of your choosing and keep those pairings connected at the same time.

When it is all set up and running, you can start music playback from either device without the need of any sort of audio switching or adjustments. As I’m writing this, I can easily listen to a video on my Chromebook, pause that playback, and start my writing music on the Pixel 6 Pro without any additional thought. It’s a really nice feature and one that will only be better once Fast Pair allows for the Audio Switching to work on Chromebooks, too.

Pair your Pixel Buds Pro with your phone

So, how do you get this up and running? Well, the first thing you’ll need to do is get your Pixel Buds Pro set up on your phone. Likely, you’ve already done this if you have a set of these earbuds, but we’ll mention it here anyway. Most times, you can simply flip open the lid on the case and your phone will give you a toast notification that prompts you to pair up your Pixel Buds Pro. From there, it will walk you through the rest of the process. If you don’t get this Fast Pair prompt, simply open the earbuds and hold the button on the back until the LED light begins pulsing, head to your Bluetooth settings and get paired up.

Enable Multipoint for the Pixel Buds Pro

Once you are good to go on the phone, you need to be sure Multipoint is turned on. It should be switched on out of the box, but if not, you’ll simply need to go to your Bluetooth settings (on a Pixel phone) or to the Pixel Buds app on a non-Pixel device. Once you are in those settings, you’ll see the Multipoint option and if you click into it, you’ll be met with the on/off switch that you’ll need to have turned on.

Pair the Pixel Buds Pro to your Chromebook

Finally, put your Pixel Buds Pro back in their case, keep the lid open, and hold the button on the back. You’ll see the LED on the front begin to slowly pulse, and this should make them visible to your Chromebook. Hit your system tray quick settings and click the drop-down under the Bluetooth button. This will then give you the option to pair a new device. Select this option and you’ll see the Pixel Buds Pro as ready to pair. Select them and within seconds, you’ll be connected.

At this point, you should show a connected status for the Pixel Buds Pro on both your phone and your Chromebook, and you’re ready to try things out. I’d recommend giving both devices about 5 seconds between play and pause when you switch back and forth. So, for example, if you are watching a video on your Chromebook, hit pause, wait a couple seconds, and then begin playback of whatever you want on your phone. Switching back and forth too quickly can make things a bit messy in my experience.

Again, I think this feature will be better once Fast Pair on Chromebooks is fully formed, allowing me to switch audio sources based on my Google account, but this is a pretty nice feature to use in the meantime. I’ve already found loads of value in moving my audio back and forth from my Chromebook to my Pixel 6 Pro, and I hope you do as well once it is set up and running on your devices.