The delayed launch of the Google Assistant for Galaxy Watch 4 has been highly anticipated so we’ve gone hands-on to find out if it’s a massive step up.

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Galaxy Watch 4 owners have been waiting for Google Assistant since Samsung launched the wearable with just Bixby last year, and support is now officially launching today.

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The Chromecast with Google TV is a great product, but it’s one that’s clearly showing problems as it ages. One issue is that the Chromecast hasn’t received an actual system update in nearly six months, which is why a recent tweet from Google feels like such a tease.

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At the start of this month, we spotted that the Nest Hub would get deeper Google Fit and Fitbit integration. You can now ask Google Assistant for your Fitbit and Google Fit stats.

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We spotted how the Nest Hub is getting deeper Google Fit and Fitbit integration to let you see step count and other activity stats at the start of this month, and you some users can now connect either service to Assistant settings.

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During this past week’s Google I/O keynote, the company officially announced the “Look and Talk” feature for the Nest Hub Max that we’ve been tracking. Now, just a few days later, that feature appears to be rolling out widely.

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With its one-year anniversary approaching, the Galaxy Watch 4 is finally getting an actual timeline for one of its most anticipated features. Google Assistant is officially getting a release date on the Galaxy Watch 4 this summer.

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At I/O 2022, Google is giving a surprising amount of attention to the Assistant Smart Display that it announced three years ago on the very same stage. “Look and Talk” will let you activate Assistant by just gazing at your Nest Hub Max, while Quick Phrases is also coming to give you another way to skip “Hey Google.”

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At I/O 2021, Google announced that Assistant would help you change stolen credentials. This Google Assistant-branded, Duplex-powered capability for changing passwords is now rolling out in Chrome for Android.

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At the moment, Google Assistant’s health integrations are limited to asking about sleep. Moving forward, you’ll be able to see steps, calories burned, and other activity metrics from Fitbit or Google Fit on the Nest Hub.

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Google Assistant for the Galaxy Watch 4 should be coming, or at least supported, with the next Samsung system update.

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After years of neglect, the spiritual successor to Google Now appears to be gone for good, with Google Assistant Snapshot disappearing widely across Android devices.

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It should soon be possible to use the At a Glance widget on Pixel phones to keep track of your grocery orders, including when pickups are ready and when deliveries are on their way.

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Following the ability to set seconds-long delayed starts, Google has made another tweak to Assistant Routines that lets you rename these macros to be different from their starters.

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Home security cameras are usually pretty basic when it comes to their optical hardware, with a middling resolution that uses digital zoom to get the job done and either a constant power source or a rechargeable battery. Over the past few months, though, I’ve been using Google Assistant-connected cameras from Reolink that kick it up a notch, with true optical zoom and a full solar system.

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Google Home is at the forefront of smart home automation. That being the case, we expect heavy customization and the ability to change minute details depending on how we like our homes to run. One of those fine details is being able to delay certain actions in Google Home’s Assistant Routines.

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At the end of last year, Google thoroughly redesigned and simplified the process of creating Assistant Routines. That update introduced sunrise/sunset triggers, and Google will soon let you program a delay between when the command is given and the Assistant Routine starts. 

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Google TV’s integration with Google Assistant makes it possible to control smart home devices, find movies and TV shows, and more. Now, Google Assistant on Google TV can offer direct video results for questions powered by YouTube.

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Google recently updated the default “Shopping List” experience used by Assistant and Home devices. For many users, it’s a huge visual and functional regression that has taken away useful capabilities.

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Home security is important in today’s day and age, but it’s something that’s unfortunately not easy in Google’s ecosystem. While Nest cameras go a long way in protecting your home, Google pulled the plug on its only true security system, Nest Secure, in late 2020 with no replacement. Lately, I’ve been spending time with a SimpliSafe Google Assistant-compatible home security system, and it certainly goes above and beyond filling that need.

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Once a Pixel 6 exclusive feature, Google seems to have enabled the flagship’s excellent Assistant voice typing on more Pixel phones.

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Public parking can sometimes be a bit frustrating, but Google Assistant is making an attempt to improve the process.

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It’s been clear for some time now that Assistant Snapshot “does not have the same level of vision, central on-phone placement, or wide backing” as Google Now. It was never going to be game changing, but its upcoming demise officially closes the chapter on what could have been a radically different way to use smartphones.

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Android has a lot of features that have the potential to make things a little easier. Sometimes, those features are a little out of the way and hidden. One prime example is the Google Assistant Snapshot feature. This guide will take you through what Snapshot is and how you can use it.

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Truly wireless earbuds have a variety of use cases, but their small and portable form factor have, for me, always been a great fit for ambient audio. That’s a purpose that most brands have basically ignored, short of Google’s Pixel Buds. The new Sony LinkBuds go all-in on mixing your music with the surrounding world, and I’ve been waiting years for these to exist.

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Google Snapshot is a useful tool that lives within Assistant and acts as a hub for predictive information — in essence, it’s a limited version of Google Now. Unfortunately, Google is killing off Snapshot, with a message now appearing to users saying that the feature is “going away soon.”

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It’s not uncommon for smart speakers of all kinds to fail once in a while, but it seems there’s a larger issue at play with some Google Assistant devices currently. If your Google Assistant device is suddenly saying “Sorry, I didn’t understand” a lot, you’re not alone.

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There are a lot of users out there who don’t mind setting their earbuds to ambient mode and going on with their lives. With the Sony Link Buds, that seems to be the main focus.

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For Safer Internet Day 2022, Google is previewing a handful of new features across several products, including Assistant, Fi, and Account security, and a slew of related initiatives.

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Following Samsung’s tease yesterday afternoon, Google today provided more details on the new Assistant experience coming to Wear OS, including its new design.

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Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 made the switch over to Wear OS, but it remained an experience that was clearly Samsung’s more than Google’s. Now, Samsung is providing an update on Google Assistant for the Galaxy Watch 4, saying that the promised feature is still “months” away from its debut.

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Some of my favorite earbuds in recent memory have come out of Jabra’s Elite lineup, with great fit, reasonable cases, and very good audio quality to boot. However, the company’s latest high-end model feels like a step back, as Jabra Elite 7 Pro has lesser sound quality despite its long-overdue addition of Google Assistant and other features.

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At I/O 2019, Google introduced the ability to cancel alarms by just saying “stop,” while the Pixel 6 picked up “Quick Phrases” last year. You can now tell Google Assistant on Smart Displays and speakers to “stop” talking without having to first preface that command with “Hey Google.”

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People like using their Google Assistant Smart Displays and speakers to play white noise before sleeping. Google earlier this week changed the white noise ambient sound and there has been an onslaught of complaints from Home/Nest users.

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Google Assistant speakers and Chromecast-compatible products were hit with some big changes last week, as Google lost a lawsuit from Sonos that required the company to make some changes. Now, the “Device Utility” app Google built to work around those changes is being review-bombed as users express their discontent with the alterations.

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In addition to new features for the regular Auto experience, Google is announcing several Android Automotive features at CES 2022, including a YouTube app.

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For two products that should be very important to Google, Assistant and Lens had a quiet 2021 compared to even the year prior. Fortunately, the lack of movement seems to be due to upcoming advancements being not quite ready yet.

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Just like last year, we’ve put together an end-of-year recap of all the major features that Google Assistant and Google Home launched in 2021.

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There are dozens of Google Assistant speakers and displays out on the market today, but most really just serve that one purpose of being a voice assistant with some music and/or video features. In 2019, Lenovo debuted its Smart Clock which was specifically designed with your bedroom in mind, and this year, it has a successor. For the past several weeks I’ve been using the Lenovo Smart Clock 2 with its wireless charging dock, and it evolves the original’s formula to be an even better fit for the bedside.

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One of the best features of the new Assistant is Continued Conversation, where your Pixel’s microphone briefly stays open after a response has been given to allow follow-ups. For the past week or so, Continued Conversation on all Google phones, including the Pixel 6, has been broken.

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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.

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