After being initially removed from Android 12
Anyone who regularly casts movies or music in their home will gladly tell you how essential volume controls are on their phone. Unfortunately, Google removed the ability to pump up your remote jams natively in Android 12, something that initially seemed like a bug before the legal truth of it all came out. A workaround was spotted in development for Android 12L, but it looks like it’ll no longer be necessary.
Casting volume controls made an unexpected return in yesterday’s January patch for Pixels (via Reddit), and it works just as it did in previous versions. Once you’ve thrown your audio to a new source, pressing up or down on the volume rocker will adjust it as necessary. It’s even better than the workaround being developed for Android 12L, which would’ve required using the expanded volume panel to boost or reduce music levels. It also means you won’t need to dive into the Home app to make quick changes any longer.
It’s unclear exactly what changed that allowed Google to reintroduce these controls. The last word on this matter suggested its removal came from the company’s ongoing legal fight with Sonos, suggesting it infringed one of the latter’s patents. Either Google managed to come to some behind-the-scenes agreement regarding the feature, or — more likely — it found a way to rebuild the feature without any legal battles.
The January patch for Android 12 is now available on the Pixel 3a series through the Pixel 5a. It also includes a fix for a fairly dangerous 911 bug that would prevent users from contacting emergency services. Pixel 6 and 6 Pro users, however, will have to keep waiting for an update coming later this month. Those devices are stuck on the November patch while Google iron out several bugs and issues plaguing users, including reduced network reception.
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