Google Assistant

Back in November, Assistant Driving Mode started rolling out as part of Google Maps. Google today is making official the new “dashboard” experience coming to Driving Mode, while the Assistant capability is set to get wider availability and a new way to launch.

Google today has three car experiences, and all of them are seeing updates. The biggest is an upcoming “Hey Google, pay for gas” command, while Android Auto is getting new media and connectivity features.

The Pixel exclusive “Hold for Me” feature that allows you to utilize the Google Assistant to hold the line until you are ready now appears to be expanding into Canada.

Assistant Driving Mode was announced at I/O 2019 to replace Android Auto on phones. It was supposed to launch that summer but was delayed, and is now happening with Android 12. Ahead of that, the homescreen UI unveiled over two years ago is finally appearing in Assistant Driving Mode.

A year ago, Google streamlined Assistant preferences by switching to one unified list showing all features in alphabetical order. The latest step to simplify Google Assistant settings involves splitting Voice Match and other options by device type.

Back in April, we told you about an in-development “Guacamole” feature that will let you use Assistant without hotwords. This Google Assistant capability will launch as “Quick phrases,” and we now know more about how it works.

Google Assistant routines are a great way to automate home functions through voice commands, and slowly they’re getting smarter. Now, Google Assistant is rolling out a new routine trigger that allows routines to start when you dismiss an alarm.

One of the downsides of Google’s second-gen Pixel Buds, as well as their mid-range successor the Pixel Buds A, is that there’s no noise cancellation. With powerful competition like the AirPods Pro and the Galaxy Buds Pro both packing noise cancellation, it was a shame to see the Pixel Buds skip it.

In its place though, the most unique aspect of the Pixel Buds series is their ability to respond to the “Hey Google” hotword, which up to this point had not been replicated on any third-party earbuds. That is, until now. JBL’s latest true wireless earbuds, the JBL Tour Pro+, are the first third-party earbuds to have full Google Assistant integration, including audible notifications and “Hey Google” support.

While smartphones are increasingly approaching feature phone pricing, the latter category still has a place. As such, “smart” feature phones exist, and many are powered by KaiOS, though Google Assistant in recent months lost the ability to make calls and send texts through voice commands. 

Earlier this week, some Google Home users got the option to add delayed starts to macros. Google has now updated Assistant with support for “Daylong Routines” that allow actions to automatically trigger at different times over the course of a day. 

Google’s ambitions in the car led to Android Auto being redesigned a couple of years ago, mostly to positive feedback. However, the version of Android Auto on phone screens was meant to shut down at the time and has been on life support ever since. Now, that version has stopped working for some users.

The Google Assistant preferences page allows you to sign in and select what services to use on Smart Displays and speakers. A small tweak today sees Google Assistant separate settings for “Photos” from “Videos.”

Google and Sonos have been engaged in a semi-public feud over the past couple of years, which has seen some legal battles as well. Following a lawsuit started in early 2020, a preliminary ruling has been passed down that accuses Google of infringing on several Sonos patents.

Samsung products have always been a bit tricky when it comes to voice assistants since the company has its own Bixby offering but usually is required to still support Google Assistant alongside it. With the Galaxy Watch 4 series, the Wear OS-based smartwatches will be lacking Google Assistant entirely when they launch and might have to wait for Google Pay.

Ahead of the new school year, Assistant is gaining a handful of features to help families organize their day. Assistant’s popular Family Bell sees a pair of phone and visual updates, while Google Search is also adding study aids.

Tomorrow will hopefully mark the beginning of the Apple Watch getting a serious competitor in the form of Samsung hardware running Google software. The wearable space is in serious need of competition, but it’s unfortunate how the two competing efforts are fundamentally the same. That similarity has deep ramifications for how we will experience technology for the foreseeable future.

Over the weekend, the new Google Assistant on Pixel phone started losing its original translucent UI. The design that replaced it is now appearing on other (non-NGA) Android devices with minor tweaks – a shorter panel – and greater emphasis on Lens.