Google Assistant

With Android 12, the Google Assistant gained the ability to be invoked by long-pressing the power button, which normally opens Android’s power menu. In turn, the Google Assistant is gaining the ability to power your phone off with your voice.

Widgets are already getting a big visual revamp as part of Material You and Android 12. Google is now bringing widgets to Assistant and considering driving-optimized ones for Android Auto.

In Android 12, the power button now acts as a shortcut to Google Assistant. Google may have pitched this as a handy shortcut, but let’s be honest, this is just copying a trend Apple started. Regardless of how you feel about that, there’s a very unfortunate side effect. At the moment, this change cuts off access to the traditional power menu.

With Duplex, Google wants to handle tedious, multi-step tasks on your behalf. The most famous example is making a phone reservation, but the Assistant-adjacent technology is also used for walking through online forms. Google Assistant and Duplex can now help you change stolen passwords step-by-step in Chrome.

Google Assistant is pretty much the name of the game when it comes to understanding natural language, and if Google’s latest breakthrough is any indication, the future is even brighter, thanks to “LaMDA.”

Security cameras around your home are a no-brainer way to feel a bit safer, but having them indoors is something that some users may not feel comfortable with. As has been a trend on webcams in recent years, Arlo is solving that privacy concern by putting a physical cover over its $99 Nest Cam competitor, the Arlo Essential Indoor.

Back in October, Google made a big push to integrate and let you control Android apps with Assistant. That drive should continue at I/O next week, and ahead of that, there’s a new Google Assistant “Your apps” settings menu.

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.