Assistant is Google’s personal assistant that is capable of answering questions, performing automated tasks, and more.
Following Android Automotive’s launch with the Polestar 2, Google released a support page for car owners. It specifically focuses on how to use Google Assistant, Maps, and the Play Store, starting with the set-up process.
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One long-running critique of Google Assistant is how it doesn’t play well with work accounts, specifically Calendar events. While there is an Assistant for G Suite beta, it requires users to actively switch accounts. Google might soon let Assistant access data from multiple accounts alongside your primary one.
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Back in November, Google Assistant augmented user-curated “News briefings” with a personalized “mix of top headlines and stories based on your interests.” “Your News Update” is now coming to Google Podcasts, while more natural text-to-speech is also available.
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Last December, Google added “Food & drink” settings so that Smart Displays could recommend recipes that abide by your dietary restrictions. In a revamp, Google Assistant’s new “Food preferences” menu has a more friendly interface and fine-grained options.
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The growth of IoT tech like the Google Assistant is one that we often don’t notice. Google is now claiming that its industry-leading Assistant is now compatible with more than 50,000 devices available from more than 5,500 brands.
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Last year, the Lenovo Smart Clock was a great way to put the Google Assistant onto your bedside table. Today, Lenovo is unveiling the even more affordable Smart Clock Essential, with simple LEDs instead of a display.
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Back in March, Google revamped the Assistant Snapshot feed and has since added new cards. Google today is making Assistant Snapshot easier to launch with a “Hey Google, show me my day” command.
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The convenience and utility of Smart Displays can extend beyond the home. Google is now working to put a Nest Hub in every hotel room and extolling the contactless benefits of voice commands aided by onscreen visuals.
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Waze has supported Google Assistant for a while, but only on Android. Assistant is admittedly limited on iPhones and iPads, but its users are about to get a bonus. Starting today, Waze for iOS offers Google Assistant integration.
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For years now, the only way to get the Google Assistant onto your wrist has been through a Wear OS smartwatch. Now, as Google has begun to acquire Fitbit, the fitness company is bringing the Google Assistant to their latest smartwatches.
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Assistant is undoubtedly one of Google’s most important products today and its prominence, as well as capability, will only increase in the future. Google has made a small tweak to how Assistant visually appears on Pixel phones as the Pixel Launcher now opts for a microphone icon.
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Google’s next-generation Assistant debuted on its second device this week with the Pixel 4a. Popular messaging service Line yesterday announced support for a handful of new Google Assistant features, including sending screenshots and replies via voice.
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The Assistant feed has been available since March and continues to add new capabilities. This true Assistant successor to the original Google Now is now offering more Snapshot audio suggestions, including YouTube Music, and sports results.
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Google has been working on a revamp of Assistant preferences since February. It saw some tweaks in February and April, but the Google Assistant settings redesign is now seeing a wider rollout.
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Sending clips of audio, instead of texting or even transcribing, is increasingly a commonplace action. Google Assistant now has a dedicated UI for sending audio messages with just your voice.
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The standalone Google Assistant app has now managed to reach the coveted 100 million download milestone over on the Google Play Store.
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With the COVID-19 pandemic showing no signs of ending anytime soon, Google has been encouraging users to take preventative measures. Now, Google Assistant is singing a cute song to tell you to wear a mask when you go out.
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Google this week laid out how Play Music will stop working in the coming months. With that on the horizon, YouTube Music is striving for feature parity, and the service is finally gaining the ability to have personal playlists be played from Google Assistant. However, this is still in testing with limited reach.
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Finally, after a couple of years, we have some Nest Hub and Smart Display games that take advantage of both your Google Assistant and the color displays.
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Last summer, Amazon, Apple, and Google were criticized for not properly disclosing how human reviewers analyze audio snippets from each of their assistants. Google in response paused the practice for Assistant and other products, but is now resuming and making audio recordings entirely opt-in.
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After giving an official teaser to ourselves and other members of the press, Google isn’t exactly shy about the fact that it has a new smart speaker around the corner. According to a new report, Google’s next Assistant smart speaker could be launching as soon as this month.
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With distance learning in effect for the upcoming school season, at least in the US, Google Assistant is adding a handful of features to ease the transition. This includes Family Bell, precise Broadcasting, and other whimsical features aimed at kids.
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From smart home controls to setting reminders and asking questions, you’re mostly interacting with Google when using a Nest Hub. That said, third-party apps do exist, and Google is making a big push for Smart Display games this year.
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Next week, Samsung Unpacked is expected to bring a trio of Android-powered devices. A new report this evening reveals that Google is in talks with Samsung to have Assistant and its other services play a bigger role.
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