Google Assistant ‘Family Bell’ is now available on Android to keep loved ones on-task this holiday season

Kyle Bradshaw | Dec 1 2021 - 9:15 am PT

With the busyness of the holidays, it’s easy to lose track of all the things that need to be done, both at home and while out and about. To help keep everyone on track, the Google Assistant’s “Family Bell” feature is now available on Android phones.

First launched last year on smart displays and speakers, Family Bell was originally designed to help families keep to a schedule, such as designated bedtimes and reminders of chores to be done. Back in August, Google announced that Family Bell would be arriving on Android soon, and today that’s happening – amidst quite a few other Android-related announcements for December.

To access your Family Bell settings on your phone, you can either say to your phone, “Hey Google, Family Bell,” or find it in your Google Assistant settings. If you want easier access to the feature, there’s a button at the top of the applet that lets you add a Family Bell shortcut to your Android homescreen.

Now, when you set up a new bell — whether from your smart display or your phone — you can choose to have your Android devices ring with the reminder. This is especially helpful for maintaining a schedule as we venture out to do holiday shopping or visit family members.

Along with arriving on Android, Google Assistant’s Family Bell is expanding to let family members set bells for themselves, rather than everything needing to be managed by someone else. And, when setting up a new bell, the Google Assistant will offer a variety of holiday-themed bell suggestions that may come in handy, like watering the tree or volunteering for a local charity.