Assistant is Google’s personal assistant that is capable of answering questions, performing automated tasks, and more.
Google’s first generation of Pixel Buds proved a decent offering, but they paled in comparison to the likes of Apple’s AirPods. Now, Google has announced a new take on its smart earbuds with the Pixel Buds (2nd gen).
Google’s Pixel Buds haven’t gotten a ton of attention since their debut back in 2017, but it seems a new update is being prepared. In the past 24 hours, a new option to enable “Hey Google” hotword support has appeared for Pixel Buds users, but unfortunately, it’s not working.
At I/O 2018, Google noted how celebrity voices are a top Assistant feature request. Following Amazon last month bringing its first voice to Echo, Google Assistant today is getting its second with Issa Rae.
Celebrity Assistant voices were announced at I/O 2018 and the first one rolled out in April. At the time, Google specified that John Legend would only be available for a limited time. Another Assistant celebrity voice is now being teased and set to be announced tomorrow.
Google has a whole ecosystem of home Assistant devices from Smart Displays and speakers to Chromecast-connected TVs. With a new “Stream transfer” feature today, all three categories will work better to move playing media from room to room.
Since exclusively showing the “new Google Assistant” in action on Wednesday, one common question we’ve been asked is about availability. Unsurprisingly, the next-generation Assistant will launch first on the Pixel 4 in the US, but it’s also “coming soon” to three other countries.
Earlier this week, we exclusively detailed the Pixel 4’s “new Google Assistant” that can seamlessly handle back-to-back commands and partially works offline. The Made by Google flagships could feature an interesting way to launch that next-generation Assistant: raise to talk.
Google Assistant has a lot of third-party capabilities called Actions. To aid discoverability, Google has long offered a browsable Explore page, and there’s now an updated card in Assistant’s Updates feed.
Back in July, we spotted Assistant replacing the old “Voice search” capability in the Google app. There have been more reports of that occurring recently, with new Google app help videos suggesting that’s still on track.
Google Assistant’s new Driving Mode has yet to arrive on devices, but some early hints within the Google app are pointing to support for NFC quick launch of the new feature.
The most popular Google Assistant smart display may be the Nest Hub, but Lenovo was first to market. With its latest update, some Lenovo Smart Display owners are reporting an “update loop” issue but, thankfully, Google is already on the case.
The first Pixel 4 tease from Google actually came during the I/O 2019 keynote. A “next generation Assistant” was demoed from a case-covered device, and officially teased as launching on the “next Pixel phones.” We now have an exclusive first look at the “new Google Assistant” that will debut on the Pixel 4.
Underpinning Assistant are voice interactions that make day-to-day tasks more natural. Google is now bringing that same level of convenience to those with accessibility needs through Actions Blocks.
Quite a lot of people have privacy concerns over using voice assistants such as Google Assistant, especially given some recent stories. Now, Google wants to give users more control over their voice data from Assistant with the ability to delete that data anytime with an easy voice command.
People today associate Google Duplex with Assistant making phone calls on their behalf. For the company, it’s the umbrella term for training AI to accomplish tasks and save you time. Announced at I/O 2019, Google Duplex on the web is now in testing.
Some Android users have been reporting a crashing issue with Google Assistant over the past couple of days that hasn’t been patched by Google just yet. If you’re affected, there is a temporary fix.
Google Assistant is bar none the best when it comes to voice assistants, and it comes in some great hardware packages, too. The Google Home series has some great designs, and the recent Nest Hub smart displays are good-looking. However, Google just doesn’t seem as interested in experimenting with Assistant hardware as Amazon is with Alexa, and sometimes I really wish it was.
If you’re on the hunt for work, McDonald’s is making it easier than ever to submit an application. Using a new app, McDonald’s will accept applications through Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
At this point, the Pixel 4 is probably one of the most leaked smartphones in history. The device has leaked literally dozens of times over the past few months and today, we’re getting yet another look at the device in a hands-on which details the Pixel 4’s next-gen Google Assistant and much more.
Google Assistant first debuted on the Pixelbook in 2017 and later came to the Pixel Slate last year. The smart assistant is now coming to non-Made by Google Chromebooks starting today.
Waze picked up Google Assistant integration back at Google I/O with some users getting access to the functionality back in June. Now, Waze’s Google Assistant integration is widely available for all English users in the United States.
Back in July, Google was criticized for not more clearly disclosing that it hires people to transcribe Assistant queries from Home and other devices. The company today announced changes that will be implemented, including a Google Assistant hotword sensitivity preference.
KaiOS has become an interesting third kind of operating system. It’s not quite as dumb as your traditional flip phone, but it’s also not as capable as something like Android. Today, TCL’s Alcatel is launching the Go Flip 3 and SmartFlip — two KaiOS devices for the United States that pack Google Assistant and more.
At Google for India 2019 today, the company announced an Assistant phone line for the country and the Google Pay Spot platform. Meanwhile, more Indian languages are coming to Google products, while an Assistant interpreter mode for Android was detailed.
