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Android’s ‘OK Google’ voice control now lets you send messages w/ WhatsApp, Viber, more

Google announced today that it’s now allowing Android users to send messages via third-party services like WhatsApp and Viber using its “OK Google” voice control feature:

Just say, “Ok Google, send a WhatsApp message to Joe”—after which you’ll get a prompt asking you to dictate your message. Or, you can do it all in one step: “Ok Google, send a Viber message to Josh: let’s do dinner tomorrow night.”

Previously, Google’s voice assistant feature, which lives within the Google app on Android and activates with the “OK Google” command, allowed users to send messages via email, text message, or Hangouts, as well as perform other tasks like recognizing songs with Shazam or asking questions.

To kick things off, Google is including support for WhatsApp, Viber, WeChat, Telegram, and NextPlus. You’ll just need to make sure you have the latest versions of the apps as well as the latest version of the Google app. It’s English only to start, but Google promises support for additional languages will come later.

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Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jordan Kahn

Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac, & contributes to 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, & Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s weekly Logic Pros series and makes music as one half of Toronto-based Makamachine.


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