When it first launched, one of Google Assistant’s biggest weak points was the number of smart home devices and services it could connect to. While there are still a few services we wish it could integrate, Google has done a lot to round out the smart home functionality, now working with 5,000 different devices.
Last year, Google introduced a media control notification that pops up within Android whenever something is being cast to a Chromecast or Google Home. To bring this feature to iOS devices, Google now has a Media Controls widget as part of the Home app.
One of our favorite features of Google Home is the ability to cast video content to your connected TV with just your voice. However, the functionality has been limited to just a few services. Slowly, it’s been expanding, most recently with the arrival of Starz.
Google Assistant may have launched with somewhat limited capabilities, but over the past year or so the company’s “Actions on Google” platform has exploded with thousands of excellent apps and integrations. Now, users can provide feedback on those with reviews.
Podcasts are a great way to keep up with topics you care about, but it can be hard to keep up with a bunch of them. There are dozens of apps out there, but one of the most convenient has been the one built into Google Assistant. Now, that podcast manager is finally getting an upgrade that allows it to remember your progress.
A Google Home user recently asked the Assistant about the current weather and was greeted with a response about checking it with a third-party service. If this has happened to you, don’t worry, this isn’t an ad…
Google Assistant speakers — and upcoming smart displays — have wide access to your personal information from calendar appointments to shopping lists and can even make payments. Given this increased functionality, Google is now listing Home in the device section of My Account settings.
Google’s Chromecast is an incredibly popular product, and for good reason. The ecosystem surrounding the streaming dongles is nothing short of massive. There’s so much you can do with it that it’s likely many users don’t fully understand what their device is capable of. Now, it appears that Google is testing a new feature on Chromecast that gives tips on the backdrop.
Because so much of the Google Home setup process and user experience is through the Home app, it seems logical that the option to factory reset the smart speakers would also be within the application. Oddly enough, it isn’t, and to wipe your devices requires you to press and hold physical buttons on each of the speakers…
Google Home speakers have proven quite popular since their debut, and they’re becoming even more popular as they expand throughout the world. Today, Google has officially made the original Google Home as well as the affordable Google Home Mini available in India.
Security is really important in this day and age, and that’s true both in our online lives and in our homes. To make home security a breeze, Nest has become a hub for everything from security cameras to video doorbells. Last year, it also launched the Nest Secure alarm system, and now that’s getting integration with Google Assistant.
Last month, our APK Insight revealed that Google Home was working on letting users pair their Assistant device to Bluetooth speakers for a multi-room audio setup. This extension of the smart speaker’s existing Bluetooth capabilities is now rolling out today.
One of the most common uses of Google Assistant, especially on smart speakers, is home control. Being able to adjust lighting with your voice is super convenient, and it’s actually one of our favorite features of Google Home devices. Now, that functionality is getting an upgrade with official support for Philips Hue scenes.
With the first Routines launching yesterday, Assistant is now adding another feature that Google announced last month. Meanwhile, text selection in Google Lens for Assistant is now widely available.
Google and Amazon are the two biggest players in the smart speaker market, and the two are constantly battling it out to deliver the best features before one another. Recently, Amazon added a new feature to Alexa that Google absolutely needs to copy…
There are a lot of Google Home features we absolutely love, but one that many were looking forward to most was hands-free calling. After launching in the US last year, that functionality is now expanding to the UK.
Since the debut of Google Home back in 2016, we’ve seen a lot of activity when it comes to Assistant-powered speakers. Not only are there new members of the Google Home lineup itself, but also new form factors and speakers from third-parties. However, the original Google Home is still one of the best options, and thanks to the “LOFT,” you can add a bit of functionality to it…
Google Home and various Assistant speakers are incredibly handy devices, and they offer a lot of incredibly cool features. Everyone has a favorite, so this week, I sat down with the rest of the team at 9to5Google to find out what their favorite features are…
Over the last week, Google has announced a number of new updates to Assistant for both consumers and developers. Third-party smart home appliance makers continue to invest in Google’s platform, with August Home today expanding its integration.
In addition to multilingual support, more languages, and deeper device integrations throughout 2018, Google Assistant is adding several features in the coming weeks. First announced at last year’s October 4th event, Routines will be available in the coming weeks, as well as setting location-based reminders from Google Home.
One of the features we were excited to see following Google I/O last year was Google Home visualizations on Chromecast. While it took a while to debut, Google finally launched that functionality in recent weeks, and now, it’s expanding even further.
The latest update to the Google Home companion app is rolling out and hints at a number of in-development features, including the possible ability to pair regular Bluetooth speakers to Home devices. Meanwhile, version 1.27 adds some new codenames, ability to reverse Home Mini controls, and some slight interface tweaks.
Last week, customers who purchased Apple’s HomePod were rightfully upset to find out that the speaker’s silicone feet left white marks on wood surfaces. Now, it looks like there’s at least one case of the Home Max’s silicone pad leaving a similar mark…
CNET set out to keep Apple’s HomePod, Amazon Echo and Google Home in continuous conversation for at least 48 hours …
