What you need to know
- Nothing has announced the rollout of digital assistant support to the ear (1) wireless earbuds.
- The latest firmware update brings support for Google Assistant, Siri and Alexa.
- You'll need to triple-tap the stem of either bud in order to summon the default voice assistant.
Nothing ear (1) launched last year with a few missing features you would otherwise expect to see in a pair of wireless earbuds. For example, there was no support for any kind of digital assistant, and Nothing even told Android Central's Harish Jonnalagadda that it had no plans to add that feature.
However, the company has now remedied that limitation. In a surprising move, Carl Pei's startup announced on Twitter that the three major voice assistants including Google Assistant, Siri and Alexa are now available on Nothing ear (1).
Alexa, play "Nothing Else Matters"
Yeah, it's time to say hey to Google and Siri.
Voice Assistance is now available for your ear (1).Alexa, play "Nothing Else Matters"
Yeah, it's time to say hey to Google and Siri.
Voice Assistance is now available for your ear (1).— Nothing (@nothing) February 7, 2022February 7, 2022
You can invoke any of these assistants depending on what kind of device the earbuds are connected to. Google Assistant is, of course, the default on the best Android phones and Siri on iOS devices. Meanwhile, users of both operating systems can access Alexa on any compatible smartphone or tablet.
To summon your device's voice assistant, you must tap the stem of either bud thrice. However, that requirement may raise a few eyebrows. One Twitter user responded to Nothing's announcement with some gripes over how the feature is executed, implying that it's not the most convenient implementation.
There was also an issue immediately after the update's release, although it has since been fixed. 9to5Google noted that the earbuds failed to recognize triple taps. This can be fixed by uninstalling and reinstalling the ear (1) app, or by unpairing and then re-pairing the earbuds with your device.
Having said that, the most recent update makes the earbuds an even better buy than they were when they first hit the market. If you want to give it a shot, make sure your ear (1) app is up to date with the most recent firmware build (version 0.6700.1.86).
Nothing ear (1)
The Nothing ear (1) stand out due to their outstanding sound quality and fun see-through design. They reduce background noise well and have Qi wireless charging as well as an IPX4 rating for workouts.
