Assistant is Google’s personal assistant that is capable of answering questions, performing automated tasks, and more.
While the Google Assistant comes pre-installed on what feels like every single product released now, the standalone app has now amassed 500 million downloads on the Play Store.
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One of the key aspects of the Pixel Launcher experience is “At A Glance,” which has seen a handful of weather-related tweaks in recent months. Google is now planning to overhaul the capability into “Live Space” and better integrate it on with Assistant on Pixel phones running Android 12.
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Smart locks are a great way to make your home’s security a bit more convenient, but many require paying an arm and a leg for the privilege. In the company’s usual fashion, the Wyze Lock bucks that trend and offers much more affordable hardware, and now, it finally supports Google Assistant.
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As a court case between Google and Sonos rages on, an interesting tidbit has recently come out. Google says that there are technical issues preventing Google Assistant and Alexa from running side-by-side on the same device, but Sonos claims they’ve figured it out.
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With Android 12 Beta 2, the Google Assistant has learned how to open the power menu on your phone, in return for taking over the power button.
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After launching to users in 2018 and expanding to online orders earlier this year, Google Duplex on Assistant is making its debut on Nest smart displays in the near future as another feature also expands to more users.
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For some users, Assistant has a tendency to pick up “Hey Google” and answer on the wrong Smart Display/speaker. Google is now soliciting feedback when the wrong Home activates with a “Which device did you expect to respond?” notification.
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The last visual revamp for Assistant in late 2020 saw the light bar come to all Android devices. Google is now working on what looks to be a new design that takes advantage of dropdown menus to show more information, while Assistant is getting new microphone sounds.
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On your phone, responses to most Assistant commands return web results, various cards, or directly open an app. Some Google Assistant responses that include text replies have now been tweaked so that the font is much larger to aid visibility.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The tech behind Chromecast, once known as Google Cast, is available in everything from TVs to soundbars and speakers from variety of different brands. As a result of an ongoing lawsuit with Sonos, though, Google may soon need to stop selling smart speakers and other cast devices in Germany.
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Google and Amazon are the two biggest players when it comes to smart speakers and displays, and today, Amazon has refreshed its popular Echo Show lineup for 2021. It’s got us thinking — is Google falling behind?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Google today announced a trio of updates for Google Assistant that leverage AI to improve pronunciation accuracy and context.
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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.
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