How to check the eartip seal on the Google Pixel Buds Pro

Google’s Pixel Buds Pro (we called them the best earbuds for Android) are packed with Google’s take on the latest earbud tech, including active noise cancellation (ANC), Google Assistant support, wireless charging, and more.

For now, we want to talk about a particularly important trick and one of the most unique features of the Pixel Buds Pro – the ability to check their earbud seal. The ear seal indicates how well the earbud fits in your ear, how effective the passive noise cancellation is, and how comfortable the Buds Pro feel in general. Here’s everything you need to know about using this feature.

How to check your hearing protection in the Pixel Buds Pro

Before we begin, make sure your Android operating system is updated. This shouldn’t be a problem for many since the ability to do so was added in Android 10, but it’s always a good idea to make sure you’re running the latest version of Android to get all the latest features.

Step 1: Your Pixel Buds Pro come with medium-sized silicone ear tips attached. Two other ear tip sizes are included, one larger and one smaller. You can also opt for memory foam ear tips for a snugger fit if you’ve had ear tip issues in the past – Google even sells some on its store. Select the earbuds that seem to be the best size for you. Ears can be weird: sometimes a different sized tip in each ear works best.

Step 2: Place the Pixel Buds Pro in your ears and twist them slightly to ensure they are secure.

Step 3: Open your Android phone. If you’re using one of Google’s Pixel phones, go to Connected Devices. If you have not yet paired your Pixel Buds Pro, you must go through the pairing process before beginning this step. Find your Pixel Buds Pro in your Connected Devicesand select the Tooth icon to access your settings.

If you’re using a non-Pixel phone, you should have downloaded the separate Google Pixel Buds app during setup. Open this app to see similar options.

Step 4: Search and select in settings Checking the eartip seal.

Step 5: The Pixel Buds Pro will now perform the seal check and play some test audio samples while you wait for the program to finish playing. This will do a few things, including adjusting ANC to better suit how you wear your earbuds. But the most important part is providing users with a pass/fail result for their earbud seal.

If your seal check fails, it’s time to adjust your earbuds. Switch to different ear tips and try again – larger tips in particular can improve the seal. Work on it until the Seal Check gives your buds a pass grade.

Troubleshooting the ear seal test

If there’s something wrong with your earbud seal, here’s what you should check.

Step 1: If the eartip seal test doesn’t seem to work at all, even though you think you’re sitting really well, you might want to check if the Google Pixel Buds app (on non-Pixel phones) is updated. Refresh and restart, then try again.

Step 2: If that doesn’t work, do a full reset of your Pixel Buds Pro. Tell your phone’s Bluetooth to completely forget your Pixel Buds Pro and place them in the charging case.

Leave the charging case open. Press the pairing button on the back of the case while it’s open and hold for 30 seconds. The status light will flash and eventually stop flashing to indicate that it is being reset. The status light will then flash different colors for a while before returning to a pulsing white, indicating the reset is complete. Pair your earbuds and try again.

Step 3: Like I said, ears can be weird. Sometimes tips just don’t fit well, depending on the size and shape of your ears. We’ve mentioned memory foam ear tips as an alternative, which can help. Ultimately, though, remember that this is just an optimization process – your Pixel Buds Pro experience won’t be ruined if you can’t get it to work. ANC and other features continue to work.

Step 4: Finally, if you’re disappointed with your Pixel Buds Pro experience, you can visit Google’s service site and see if you can replace the earbuds or swap them out for a different model.

If you haven’t already checked it out, be sure to check out our list of Google Pixel Buds Pro tips and tricks.

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