Google previously removed the play and pause buttons due to an issue that caused the device to constantly record users. The company will now apparently bring the features back to the Home Mini.
So how will it work now? Well, instead of taping the top of the Home Mini to start and stop playback, you will now be able to long press the volume buttons on either side of the Home Mini to control whatever is playing on the device. This means you can control music, phone calls, alarms, and so on. For example, if you’re playing music, you can long press and and hold to stop it.
The update is expected to roll out today for Home Mini units that are enrolled in Google’s software preview program. For the rest of the Home Mini units, the update should also deploy shortly.
Originally on the Home Mini, the button was going to be used to control playback and for letting owners trigger Assistant. After Android Police noticed that their Home Mini unit was constantly recording, Google acted quickly to remove the feature before the product event shipped. This brought quite the embarrassment to Google’s hand, especially since the product hadn’t even shipped, but the good news was that the problem was caught before product shipped and was disable to offer consumers a better state of mind.
Something else to keep in mind that this update also suggests that Google wasn’t able to get around the fabric issue because it’s just using the side buttons instead of the play and pause feature with the top button. At least Google did bring something back for Home Mini owners. It’s a good sign that Google has been hard at work for Home Mini owners.
