Tasker

Tasker 5.11.4 now lets you activate tasks using the Google Assistant

Damien Wilde | Jan 27 2021 - 1:56 am PT

After numerous updates and upgrades, Tasker version 5.11.4 has now gained support for running tasks right from your Google Assistant.

Announced as rolling out or arriving via the official Tasker subreddit, version 5.11.4 gives you the ability to create and run unique tasks on your device using Google Assistant voice commands. While the process is not quite as straightforward as just asking to have a task completed, once configured, you can perform any pre-created processes by saying, “Ok Google, run my <task> in Tasker” — where <task> is one of your pre-created routines/tasks.

The “run” command can be interchangeably swapped for “start,” “do,” “set,” or “send,” too, which makes things a little easier. Developer João Dias (aka @joaomgcd) confirmed that he might also add the ability to use “turn” for things like powering on or off smart home tech and other associated things.

Tasker 5.11.4 includes a new Profile called “Assistant Action.” This lets you receive variable input such as time. Effectively this means that you can activate your Google Assistant with a command such as “run turn off my bedroom light in five minutes with Tasker.” This will parse out and Tasker will wait five minutes before powering off your bedroom lighting.

Some of this is already possible in the vanilla Google Assistant, but there are some arguments and variables that the Tasker can help add, giving an extra layer of nuance — or complexity. A number of extra plug-ins are needed for some tasks, but this does open up more customization options beyond just using the stand-alone Google Assistant.

The Tasker 5.11.4 update should be rolling out right now via the Google Play Store, but if you simply cannot wait to get tinkering with enhanced Google Assistant commands, then you can always download it directly via João’s dedicated Dropbox link.