Google Assistant rolling out to Bose smart speakers and soundbars

After launching on the Sonos One and Beam last week, Google Assistant is coming to the Bose lineup of smart speakers and soundbars. An upcoming update will essentially turn the new Bose Home Speaker 300 and current 500, as well as the Bose Soundbar 500 and 700, into a Google Home.

Following an automatic software update later this week, Google Assistant will be available on another surface in the home that users might already own. Like the recent Sonos launch, these Bose devices already feature Amazon Alexa built-in and support for Apple’s AirPlay 2.

The Bose Home Speaker 500 costs $400 and is unique for featuring “wall-to-wall stereo sound” with two custom drivers that point in opposite directions to bounce sound off walls. This device has a small LCD screen that displays the current cover art, while the top surface houses touch controls with preset buttons.

Bose today also announced the new Home Speaker 300 as a more compact variant that’s just 2 pounds and 6” tall x 5.6” wide x 4” deep. It looks nearly identical to the 500 and provides 360-degree sounds, but drops the display and is more oval in shape. It retails for $260 and will be available on June 20th.

Meanwhile, Assistant is coming to the Bose Soundbar 500 and 700. These two devices feature an eight-microphone array, with the entry $550 model featuring a thin design, while the $800 is bigger and top-of-the-line.

With the coming update, these speakers can listen for the “Hey Google” hotword. Commands include getting answers, setting alarms, controlling smart home devices, and sending media to Chromecast-enabled televisions.

Bose Soundbar 500

Bose Soundbar 700

Google teased the upcoming ability to play news and podcasts on the Bose devices later this summer. As with Sonos last week, this update does not add Chromecast support to the line. Meanwhile, only one assistant can be active at a time on a speaker, though they can be set on a per-device basis.

This automatic update begins rolling out today, and once upgraded users in the Bose Music app can select Assistant in “Voice Settings.” This will begin the guided walkthrough process of signing into and authorizing Google.