Google Assistant

Just about a month ago, Roku announced that Google Assistant support would be coming to the platform. Now, Roku Google Assistant support is rolling out to users with compatible hardware.

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For several years now, the Google app allowed users to unlock a device with your voice when interacting with Google Assistant. After removing on the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, “Unlock with Voice Match” appears to be nearing deprecation and replacement on all other Android devices given that it’s not too secure.

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As we learned earlier this week, the Assistant is getting a visual revamp on Chrome OS, coinciding with the upgrade to Android Pie. Now, it seems that the Pixelbook and Pixel Slate won’t be the only devices seeing the redesign, as evidenced by a new Chrome flag.

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Following our report yesterday about Voice Action Services, Google confirmed to us that the app was created to comply with the European Commission’s decision against Android app bundling. The company also detailed the general functionality, but emphasized how it’s distinct from Google Assistant in a key way.

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At I/O 2018, Google announced that Assistant would allow users to set a default lists and notes service. With the latest Google app beta, it’s finally beginning to roll out, and it includes a built-in Assistant provider for users that don’t want to use a third-party solution.

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Last week, Google detailed how it would comply with the European Commission’s $5 billion antitrust fine and ruling on Android. Ahead of new manufacturer licenses coming into effect next week, Google is seemingly preparing by unbundling key services like Google Assistant into separate Play Store apps.

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Over the past year, YouTube Kids introduced human-curated channels and allowed parents to whitelist videos after some failings with the algorithm. The service is now coming to Smart Displays, Google Home, and Cast-connected televisions.

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Google has had a strong focus over the past few months on its Digital Wellbeing initiative. This first started in Android Pie with a suite of new tools to track your tech habits. Now, Google is starting to roll out Digital Wellbeing for Google Home.

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Google Keep is a popular way to store miscellaneous notes, and soon, Google is bringing back a much-requested feature. Google Keep will once again be the home of the Google Assistant shopping list.

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For quite some time now, most Android phones have had the option to be unlocked via your voice and an “OK Google” or “Hey Google” command. Using “Voice Match,” Google has offered up this functionality on its past two Pixel phones, but now its latest doesn’t support it. Oddly, Pixel 3 doesn’t support this feature.

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The Nvidia Shield TV is easily the best Android TV box you can buy today, and it just seems to be getting better with updates. Following a promotion which teased the functionality earlier this month, Nvidia is detailing all of the new controls you can use with a Google Home and the Shield TV.

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Quite a while back, Google opened the Assistant to other device manufacturers, which created the opportunity for Google Home experiences with a greater audio experience than Google’s own speakers offer. SōLIS is one of many brands seeking to do so this year with their new SO-2000 smart speaker.

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Back in August, Google began testing a redesigned settings page for Assistant that is in line with the Google Material Theme. This week, the simplified Google Assistant settings page with tabs is rolling out.

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JBL is a big brand for audio, and for the most part, the company makes some killer products. In recent months, the brand has also been working with Google quite a lot to integrate Assistant into some of its products. Lately, I’ve been trying out a couple of headphones with Google Assistant built-in, so let’s take a closer look.

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Over the past year, the number of Google Assistant headphones available have proliferated. This, unfortunately, is not due to the success of Pixel Buds, but rather various brands adding one-tap access to notifications and Google Search on Android. All these headphones now support the Pixel Buds real-time translation feature.

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The Google Home Hub is Google’s very first attempt at a Smart Display and fuses the powerful functionality of the Google Home with a display for yet more use-cases. We’ve already seen a few Smart Displays from brands such as JBL and Lenovo, but unlike those options, Google’s first party design follows the design language of pre-existing Home devices and actually looks like something you would want in your home.

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At 10/9, Google announced Downtime and Filters for the Google Home Hub. These Digital Wellbeing features will be coming to all Smart Displays and Assistant speakers, as Google’s initiative to manage device usage is integrating with Assistant on phones.

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Just yesterday, Google began rolling out a complete visual redesign of Assistant for Android and iOS, as well as allowing developers to better monetize Actions. Google Assistant is now gaining the ability to help you book a ride from Uber, Lyft, and more with just your voice.

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