For most people who have experienced the issue, what they notice is a one- to two-second audio pause when they turn their head while wearing the earbuds. Those same cutouts can also happen when the person cups their hand over their ear. It can affect either one or both of the earbuds. A firmware update Google released in May doesn’t appear to have done anything to alleviate the issue, and it can ever persist after someone replaces their current pair. 

Pixel devices have had a history of Bluetooth-related problems. With the Pixel 3, for instance, it was sometimes difficult to pair the phone with other Bluetooth-capable devices. So it’s a shame to see Bluetooth issues sidetrack another Google device, particularly one we thought was a significant improvement on the company’s previous efforts. That said, it’s reassuring Google is working on a fix.