Arguably one of the biggest and most frustrating aspects of Google Home devices is the constant repeating of actions it has performed when you ask it to run an Assistant routine.
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I’m a big Google Home user. I have one in pretty much every room in the house, and in some rooms, I have two. This works out fine for the most part, but something that’s unique about having so many Homes is that there’s a more-than-average number of them constantly battling to figure out which one you’re talking to. Sometimes that goes well, and other times, it’s very broken.
Google’s platform for the big screen, Android TV, was recently subject to a potentially scary bug. To help ease concerns, Google temporarily disabled some of the related functionality, but nearly a month later, casting content from Google Assistant to Android TV is still totally broken, and the company has gone silent.
Google Home users last month got a brief preview of the John Legend voice announced at I/O 2018. Starting today, it is officially available as Assistant’s first-ever celebrity cameo across Google devices. However, it is only available for a limited time.
The latest version of the Google Home app is rolling out this evening with several new features in development. Google Home 2.9.65 reveals that Nest device setup might soon be available through the app, while there is an explicit reference to “FaceMatch.”
Google is giving all basketball fans the ability to tune into March Madness for free simply by asking your Smart Display, Home Hub, Google Home, or simply the Google Assistant to play the game.
As the smart speaker market continues to heat up, Qualcomm is jumping into the ring to provide a new chipset for OEMs to use. The new Qualcomm QSC400 makes some big promises for future products, here’s what you need to know.
Last year the Nvidia Shield, Android TV’s flagship offering, added full control via Google Assistant. Now, Android TV as a whole seems to be adding better Google Assistant controls for all devices using the platform.
The Continued Conversation feature that was rolled out not too long ago to US users has now made the short hop over the pond meaning that we UK users no longer have to keep asking to activate Google to get answers (via Android Police).
Google Duo, the video and audio calling app that seems to be the central focus of Google’s communication efforts as of late, made its debut on Assistant-powered devices alongside the Google Home Hub last fall — despite that device not having a camera. Now it appears these non-video Duo calls are coming to other Home devices.
Google Assistant makes it really easy to interact with smart home devices, but Google is still working to bring that functionality to everything on the market. Recently, Google Assistant quietly added support for heaters, air fresheners, and even connected fireplaces.
At MWC 2019, Google announced Assistant for Messages on Android, expanded availability in Google Maps, and more languages for bilingual support. The next feature for Google Home speakers and Smart Displays appears to be Apple Music integration.
The latest version of the Google Home client is rolling out this evening to Android with support for changing the color of smart lights right from the app. This feature was previously limited to Smart Displays, with this update also preparing support for Smart Clocks.
In addition to dedicated hardware buttons and Messages integration, Google is improving Assistant’s international capabilities at MWC 2019. This includes additional multilingual pairings and many new features on KaiOS feature phones.
The Google Home ecosystem grows and grows, as does the usefulness of the Google Assistant itself. The announcement at CES means that you can tap into the power of Google Translate and use it for live conversations with those speaking another language.
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At CES 2019, Google announced interpreter mode for Google Home speakers and Smart Displays. The Assistant feature began rolling out earlier this month, and is now fully available for consumers as Google talks up the benefits for concierge and hotels.
According to a report this morning out of Japanese newspaper Nikkei, the Made by Google hardware lineup for 2019 is pretty much what we expected: There’s a budget Pixel right around the corner, a premium Google Pixel 4 in the works, a new Google Home, a first-party smartwatch, and a new Nest Cam.
There is a weird issue with Google Play Music right now that prevents users from casting any 2019 tracks from the music streaming application from your phone to your Google Home connected devices.
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Smart speakers like Google Home and Amazon Echo are exploding in popularity, but it’s unclear which platform will truly dominate. It’s largely accepted, and proven, that Google Assistant is still the most capable of the bunch, and recent comments from Amazon leave the door open for devices with multiple assistants. According to a new study, though, consumers just pick one and run with it.
Last December, Google released a funny Christmas-themed ad called “Home Alone Again” that saw Macaulay Culkin reprising his role as Kevin McCallister. Featuring a smart home with Google Assistant devices, the company today posted what is essentially a reaction video of Joe Pesci watching that ad.
Affordable home security cameras are often few and far between, even less so if you want Google Home or Google Assistant connected Wi-Fi security cameras.
There are a number of Google Home Essentials that we want to uncover and build as we delve into the power of the Google Assistant and its services over time. And that includes the growing library of Assistant apps.
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Not too long ago, I was able to treat the Google Assistant with a level of respect due to the entity that fits comfortably between “faceless voice” and “future robot overlord.” Something happened over the holidays though. With the launch of Pretty Please, being nice to the Google Assistant suddenly became an annoyance.
One of the more popular, modern conspiracy theories is that your phone is always-listening to serve advertisements. The advent of smart speakers has done nothing to stop that “theory,” but a pair of designers have now created a physical accessory to disrupt Google Home from always recording.
