Back in March, Google rather quietly rolled out Assistant Snapshot as a Google Now-esque replacement that brings together weather, calendar events, reminders, and other relevant, proactive information. Google Assistant now looks to be testing a second, visually-similar feed called “Updates for you.”
On the old Google Assistant that the majority of users still have, the bottom-right corner is home to a compass icon that opens Explore for browsing available Actions/apps. Assistant is now testing an envelope/messages icon that launches an “Updates for you” feed that oddly looks like Snapshot.
Instead of providing information related to your day, this page is dedicated to onboarding and getting you up-to-speed on how to use Assistant. This is likely just an introductory experience as a “Welcome” card tells you how to “Get things done with Google Assistant.” It’s followed by example commands that you can ask.
It could also be a way for Google to deliver updates about what Assistant can do. It’s sometimes hard to keep track of what functionality the smart assistant adds.
Meanwhile, Explore is moved to the top-right corner next to your profile icon. This experience is fine for new users, but rather confusing next to Snapshot given the near-identical layout. That said, feeds are a good way to deliver a lot of information. Presumably, the Updates for you feed disappears after frequent Google Assistant usage.
More about Google Assistant:
- Google Assistant drops support for Philips Hue first-gen bridge on June 22nd
- Chrome OS to gain on-device Google Assistant for ‘the most common queries’
- Smart Displays will soon show AMP news, support Continuous Match Mode for Assistant Actions
- Android TV set to gain Google Assistant Voice Match
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