Yesterday Amazon and Google finally put an end to their bitter, consumer-hostile feud and started to support each other’s platforms. Now, it’s been confirmed that on Google’s hardware, Amazon Prime Video is going all-out with full support for Google Home commands on Chromecast.
Last week, reminders in Google Assistant were redesigned on Android, while the functionality was entirely removed for G Suite accounts. Google today announced that Assistant reminders can now be assigned to members of your family or household.
Announced at I/O 2019, the Nest Hub Max will be available on September 9th. Google Home 2.13.1.10 readies support for the newest Smart Display, and the promised Nest migration to Google Accounts. The companion app also reveals work on linking “radio services.”
While talking to your smart home is intuitive, there are instances when voice commands can be quite disruptive. One notorious example is telling Assistant to turn off lights at night and getting back a verbal confirmation. Google is now replacing that loud response with a simple “chime” reply.
With summer well underway, the Nest Hub Max should be coming sooner rather than later. The latest Google Home 2.12.50 companion app preps “Reactive UI” settings for the new Smart Display, while there is a design tweak to control dials throughout the client. This Android release, however, does not enable the custom Assistant volume we spotted on iOS.
A fairly common complaint with Smart Displays and Home speakers is how the Google Assistant voice is tied to the standard media volume. This can result in search results and responses being too loud or too quiet. Google is now readying a solution with “Custom TTS Volume” in the Home app.
Smart speakers are used in many households for controlling smart lighting products. Currently, one of the most popular smart lighting options, Philips Hue, can’t be connected to Google Assistant due to a bug, but thankfully, both companies are at least aware of the problem that takes away the ability for Google Home to control the smart lights.
On July 16th, 1969, NASA successfully launched a mission to bring astronauts to the moon, and 50 years later, we’ve just passed the anniversary of that historic event. To celebrate, the US Navy has developed a new Google Assistant game called “Journey to the Moon” which plays real audio recordings and takes you through the process of the lunar launch.
It emerged yesterday that Google hires people to transcribe Assistant queries from Home and other smart devices. The company today described the practice as “critical” to bringing Assistant to other languages, while promising an investigation into the leak of customer data.
A report from a Belgian network, VRT, has uncovered how Google is using human subcontractors to help transcribe and improve its Assistant speech-recognition systems around the globe and how this could be a privacy concern (via BoingBoing).
Given everything that you can do with your Google Home(s) and/or Google Nest Hub(s), it’s easy to forget some of the simple tasks it can handle. One that I make use of a few times a week is the ability to make calls. Once you have it set up this is dead simple, so here’s how to get started making calls with Google Home and Google Nest Hub.
In addition to a slew of user-facing Assistant features at I/O 2019, another way Google is improving the experience of using Google Home and Nest Displays is through the Local Home SDK. This new local technology will deliver faster commands to your smart home accessories.
Did you know that you can add your favorite podcasts to your Google Home routines? Amazing, isn’t it? What is more amazing is that you might not have known this little tidbit.
Last month, a Google Store listing briefly referred to Google Home as “Nest Home.” The official Made by Google Twitter account this afternoon used that name again with the “Nest Home Max.”
The latest version of the Google Home app is rolling out this evening with a handful of features in progress. Google Home 2.12 suggests that a dark theme could be coming to the app, while there is a new device codename.
At I/O 2019, Google confirmed that “Google Nest” branding would eventually make its way to first-party smart speakers. That transition could already be underway with Google Store revealing a “Nest Home” rebrand for the first time today.
Since its availability in August 2017 in France, Google Assistant has had two hotwords: The well-known “Okay Google”, and “Dis Google” (meaning “Say Google”). Google has now announced support of the “Hey Google” hotword support in France for the beginning of July.
Smart speakers have basically taken over our homes in 2019, and there is no sign of that slowing down with the arrival of new form factors and even smart displays. If you’ve yet to join in on the fun or are looking for some additional options for your home, here are the best Google Assistant speakers and smart displays.
With all the hype around the Pixel 4 this week, we thought it might be good to look at some of the other things Google might have in the Made by Google hardware pipeline. A new hardware prototype, codenamed “Visalia,” has popped up in the Fuchsia OS source code, which could be yet another Google Home device.
At I/O 2019 last month, Google announced price cuts for its entire Home lineup. Another round of deals have kicked off today on the Google Store and other retailers, with the most notable being a $269 Google Home Max and $99 bundle that includes the Nest Hub, Home Mini, and C by GE smart bulb.
Google demonstrated at I/O 2019 how AI could be leveraged to extend and create new accessibility features. On Global Accessibility Awareness Day, the company is publishing a series of how-to videos about setting up Google Assistant and Google Home.
The new “Google Nest” brand was unveiled last week at I/O 2019 and the company is already advertising it. While Nest Hub Max is the first product launching under that unification, the existing Home Hub was rebranded immediately. That new name is live in Google Home 2.11, while several references to future products and features were removed.
At I/O 2019, Google announced that moving forward its smart home products would be branded under “Nest.” The Home Hub became the Nest Hub, while the first product from this initiative is the Nest Hub Max. Meanwhile, Google confirmed that Home speakers will get Nest branding in the future, while Nest Accounts will be migrated to Google Accounts to address recent security issues.
Starting today, Google is making a welcome change to Google Assistant. You can now cancel alarms on Google Assistant and devices like the Google Home by just saying “Stop.”
