The transition of digital audio listening from one device to another will be easier for users of Android-powered devices. Google showed off what it describes as a “refreshed” media player at CES 2023. Using notifications on a device, Android 13 users will be able to start listening to a podcast or audio stream in the car, continue on a phone and headphones, and then finish on a TV at home.
Google says as Android users change their physical location they will see media notifications on their phone or other devices asking if they would like to transfer the audio over to a nearby device. It says it is an expansion of earlier work between Spotify and Google focused on uninterrupted listening.
Google credits how Android has been designed for allowing cross-device listening that includes a “three-layer technology stack” that recognizes a user’s proximity to another device and context of how it is being used.
The first layer recognizes what devices are physically close by, with wireless technologies like Bluetooth Low Energy, Wi-Fi and ultra-wideband (UWB). The second layer is nearby device discovery and context-aware capabilities that identify which device a user may want to use based on their current activity.
Finally, the third layer understands and adjusts actions based on how a user interacts with devices with cross-device intelligence.