• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, January 5, 2023

Google is working on a media playback feature that will enable consumers to jump from one device to the next as they move throughout their day.

The feature should make it easier to target ads under privacy regulations. 

The devices, which will link to each other through several types of technology, will identify the last piece of audio content played, so users will have the ability to start playing a podcast or some other type of media in the car and resume the playback on their phone, on the go or on their TV in their home.

The company described in a blog post that it uses a combination of signals such as Bluetooth Low Energy, Wi-Fi, and ultra-wideband (UWB), along with the nearby device feature that identifies the proximity of the devices.

As the user moves their physical location, these media notifications will pop up on their phone or other devices asking if the user would like to transfer the audio over to a nearby device.

Google is working with Spotify and YouTube Music to use these notifications to help users enjoy the content they are streaming, on the most optimal device available to them.

Google’s work with Spotify will enable users to easily switch playback between any Spotify Connect device from Android’s media player.

Google and Microsoft have been working on this type of technology for years, which will allow them to identify a specific sequence of devices that likely belongs to the same person through a sign-in and opt-in method, similar to the way each of the companies independently targets advertisements.