Google unveils a huge slate of new features for Android, Wear OS, and… Windows devices

Google was just one of the many companies that decided to physically sit out this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas at the eleventh hour, but that doesn’t mean the search giant’s first big announcements of 2022 have been impacted in any way, shape, or form.

Fast Pair all the things!

Chromebooks will be able to automatically detect and connect to your Fast Pair-enabled headphones in a single click starting in just “a few weeks”, mind you, while Matter-enabled smart home devices are expected to gain Fast Pair support at some point “in the coming months”, being then able to connect to your network or Google Home app with a few simple taps.

Your headphones will also quickly and easily pair with your Google TV or Android TV OS device starting “in the coming months”, further adding to a more closely-knit ecosystem than ever before.

But wait, there’s (a whole lot) more

Because Google has so much new stuff to announce and detail at outside of this year’s CES exhibition, some of those details are a little unclear and a few of the software add-ons could fly under the radar… until they actually start to roll out later in the year.

BMW vehicle owners will also be happy to hear the brand’s “supported” cars are on the verge of playing nice with “compatible” Samsung and Pixel phones for locking, unlocking, and even engine-starting purposes sans using a traditional key. Google wants you to know it’s working hard to bring digital car keys to “more Android phones and vehicles later this year” as well while also promising you won’t have to take your handset out of your pocket to use it as a car key soon.

Believe it or not, that’s still not everything hardcore Google fans can look forward to in 2022, with built-in Chromecast functionality headed for even more brands than right now, starting with all Bose smart speakers and soundbars “in the next few months.”

Last but not necessarily least, certain “supported” Bluetooth headphones will get a potentially groundbreaking technology soon enabling them to “instinctively” know exactly what devices you want to use and when. Granted, the real-life example offered by Big G to promote the feature is not quite the pinnacle of mobile tech innovation, but it’s sure going to be helpful if our headphones will indeed be able to seamlessly switch between a tablet playing a movie and a phone receiving a call without us lifting a finger.