Pixel Buds add sleep detection and tap-to-mute in update 6.144
Version 6.144 brings Dynamic ANC to the Pixel Buds Pro 2 and gives the Buds Pro, Pro 2 and 2a sleep detection, tap-to-mute and touch-free translation.
Google has started rolling out firmware version 6.144 for its Pixel Buds range, and the update reaches every earbud the company still sells. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 finally gets the Dynamic Active Noise Cancellation that was trailed at the Pixel 11 launch, while the Pixel Buds Pro, Pixel Buds Pro 2 and Pixel Buds 2a all receive the same four extra features.
Dynamic ANC is the only model-exclusive addition. On the Pro 2 the buds continuously adjust audio and noise cancellation according to how well they are seated in your ear, compensating in real time for the “subtle shifts” that happen as an earbud moves. Google had promised the feature in August; what is new is its arrival in shipping software.
What else is in the update
Enhanced Live Translate lets you start a translation with a touch on the earbud rather than reaching for your phone. The buds hand off to the Google Translate app, so you can hold a conversation or stay in listening mode while a foreign language plays around you.
Voice control extends Gemini to the buds’ own settings. You can ask for Active Noise Cancellation, adjust the equaliser or switch touch controls on and off without opening the companion app. Tap to Mute, meanwhile, silences and restores your microphone during a call with a single tap — though it only works when the buds are paired with a Pixel phone.
The last addition is sleep detection. Using sleep sensing on a Pixel Watch, the buds can tell when you drop off, then pause playback, disable touch gestures and silence notifications. It is a modest feature on paper, and a genuinely useful one for anyone who has woken up to a podcast still running at 04:00.
How to get version 6.144
Update the Pixel Buds companion app from Google Play, then open it and scroll to More settings > Firmware update to check for release 6.144. The rollout is staged, so the update may take a little while to appear on your buds.
Our opinion
Google’s earbuds have quietly become a software-led product line. The hardware has barely moved since 2024, yet each release widens the distance between the Pixel Buds and rivals that ship a feature set once and leave it there. The catch is dependency: two of the headline additions here — sleep detection and enhanced Live Translate — are at their best only if you already carry a Pixel phone and wear a Pixel Watch. For anyone inside that ecosystem this is a free upgrade that makes an older pair feel current; for everyone else it is a smaller update than the announcement implies.