Google Assistant

In working to expand availability around the world, Google, over the years, has brought Assistant to feature phones. Nokia is now launching the 2720 V Flip phone with Google Assistant in the US on Verizon’s 4G network.

Last week, Google announced that Assistant Family Broadcasts from Smart Displays and speakers can now appear on phones. That feature is widely rolled out today along with a renamed “Communication” menu in Google Assistant settings.

With Project Connected Home over IP (CHIP), Google, Apple, Amazon, and many other companies two years ago set out to create a new standard for smart home devices. With the first products set for year’s end, this initiative is now named “Matter” with a mark to certify products.

Using Smart Displays and speakers as an intercom system is one of Google Assistant’s most popular capabilities. Google is now updating Assistant Broadcasts so that they appear on both Android and iOS phones. 

Google today announced a trio of updates for Google Assistant that leverage AI to improve pronunciation accuracy and context. 

Google Assistant is available on devices of all shapes and sizes, but the vast majority of useful smart speakers that support it are designed to be used in one place, indoors. I’ve been wanting a solution to bring Assistant and, in turn, Chromecast audio around my home wire-free. As it turns out, the Sonos Roam is exactly what I’ve been looking for.

For the past several weeks, we’ve been tracking an Assistant feature codenamed “Guacamole” in the Google app. We can now report that “Guacamole” will let users perform time-sensitive Assistant “quick tasks” like answering calls or silencing alarms on your Android phone without having to first say “Hey Google.”

Spotify has a lot of great features, but one of its best and most unique is Connect, a method of keeping the same listening session synced across all of your devices. Unfortunately, what seems like a bug is breaking Spotify Connect in multiple ways when using Google Assistant or Chromecast devices.

Last year, Google let users control what information appears in the Assistant Snapshot feed. A new “Favorites” section for Google Assistant Snapshot now lets you pin important cards to the top, with this capability being especially handy for important reminders.

For the past few months, Google has been slowly rolling out its eventual replacement for the phone-based Android Auto experience. The early preview of Assistant Driving Mode is now getting an international launch.

Google today announced a handful of new Assistant features, while making others more widely available. The biggest lets iPhone owners find misplaced devices using Google Smart Displays and speakers as Assistant Routines availability expands.

In late 2020, Google announced a massive long-term partnership with renowned home security company ADT, and now, we’re seeing the first part of that deal come to fruition. More ADT security systems now work with Google Assistant, and ADT is now selling select Nest gear.

Home security cameras are great for monitoring your property, but when you go outdoors, a lack of electrical hookups can make it difficult to get a camera right where you want it. For the past several months, I’ve been using the Wyze Cam Outdoor system to solve that problem, and thanks to recent improvements, the Google Assistant integration has finally reached the point where it’s a useful part of my Google Home ecosystem.

Update 3/31/2022: Due to Wyze’s recently-revealed security problems, and the company’s decision to not address the issue for nearly 3 years, we’re retracting our recommendation of this product.

Yes, you’re reading that correctly. Fiat has released three actual 500-series cars with “Hey Google” branding and integration directly with the Google Assistant.

Last May, Google released an app for creating one-tap Assistant shortcuts on Android homescreens. An update today adds Action Blocks backup and restore when moving to new devices, as well as other small tweaks.

Last year, Google introduced the ability to customize how sensitive your Smart Displays and speakers are to the hotword. Assistant is now using federated learning on Android to prevent “Hey Google” misactivations and misses.

The very first iteration of Assistant for phones was focused on voice commands until Google in 2018 added Smart Display-inspired visual elements like on-screen controls. Last year, a Snapshot feed to show personalized recommendations and upcoming events was added. Overall, Google wants Assistant to be better suited for and take advantage of the phone form factor, and an upcoming “Memory” feature — which we enabled — is the most significant example of that goal to date.

After we first spotted in August, Gboard is now rolling out an “enhanced voice typing” experience that features the new Google Assistant found on the latest Pixel phones.