Google Assistant is one of the voice assistants that have seen the most feature updates this year, especially with the company’s increased focus on developing and improving AI technology.
While the ability to be able to allow Google Assistant to conduct phone calls and tasks independently may not be available just yet, the new features help make Google Assistant more effective and user-friendly.
Along with improving the user experience, new Google Assistant features have also been added as well, allowing more tasks to be accomplished through voice commands. Here are some of the features worth taking a look, and how they affect the overall user experience.
Slew of New Google Assistant Features
As one of the most prominent Google Assistant Features, it is showing off auto-translation on smart display speakers, letting you naturally talk to each other with the speaker acting as the translator automatically.
Besides, another prominent Google Assistant Feature is that it has announced integrations with dozens of well-known brands. It will put Google Assistant on millions more iPhones with a Trojan horse play: integrating it into Google Maps.
Talking about Google Assistant Features, they are really going big. In an interview with The Verge, Manuel Bronstein, VP of product for Google Assistant, made the case that Google is building an entire ecosystem for Assistant that’s akin to the ecosystem it’s built for Android. It’s a platform play, basically, just like Alexa. And Google wants to ensure it’s everywhere.
There are new advanced features for Google Assistant, cute new gadgets that either feature it or work with it, and an aggressive new program to bring in more third-party companies.
At Least a dozen Google Assistant Features
Google is flaunting its assistant’s features and is talking openly about the Google Assistant Connect, a catch-all term for a set of capabilities for third-party developers. Google understands it’s behind on tools: Amazon makes it nearly plug-and-play for companies to build Alexa compatibility into their products.
It will be some time before we see any results from Google Assistant Connect, but the rest of the products and features Google is announcing will have a more immediate impact.
There’s a neat little alarm clock with Assistant, made by Lenovo. It’s essentially a tiny version of the Google Home Hub, and, thankfully, it also doesn’t have a camera, so you’re more likely to be willing to put it in your bedroom.
But there’s a lot more. Some of its third-party integrations include –
- Integration with the Dish Hopper
- Confirmation that Google Assistant is coming to Sonos speakers
- A KitchenAid Smart Display
- Samsung TV integration
- Better Philips Hue integration
- Car products like lighter adapters with Assistant
There are also a bunch of new software features, including:
- Boarding passes on Assistant
- A new Interpreter mode that translates automatically
- Better auto-reply and punctuation when you reply to messages with your voice
- Baking Assistant into Google Maps (That’s the Trojan horse)
- Adding lock screen access to more Android devices
- I’m probably forgetting something
Yes, it’s a lot.
The new Interpreter mode is the splashiest of those new Google Assistant features, by far. It’s a new auto-translation feature for the Google Home Hub, and it will be piloted at hotel desks. Google has tried to make auto-translation in its Pixel Buds before, but on the Hub, it makes a bit more sense. It works more naturally with fewer button presses, and we have a full hands-on with it here.
Google Assistant has Evolved as a Platform
So Google wants to turn Assistant into a full-fledged platform. It’s pretty easy to argue about what constitutes a computing “platform,” but by any reasonable metric, Assistant is there. The install base for Assistant is large enough. Google has announced that it expected to hit a billion devices with Assistant by the end of the month. And though Google doesn’t quite have the breadth of devices that Alexa does, it’s catching up: 10,000 different devices work with Assistant now, made by over 1,000 brands.
However Google is primed to really begin increasing the number of devices that include or work with Assistant more quickly now. Not just the Google Assistant features but its compatibility with other devices is also on the rise.
Again, one of the nicest new Assistant features Google is announcing: flight check-in with Assistant. When it comes time to check in, you’ll simply be able to tap a button on your lock screen, and you’ll run through all of those pre-flight baggage check-in and security questions right in Google’s interface. At the end, you’ll have a boarding pass you can access quickly from Assistant and the lock screen.
Google Assistant on Sonos. Google and Sonos are recommitting to releasing it this year — noting that it’ll be available on the Sonos One and Sonos Beam, and older speakers will be updated to “work with” Assistant.
The Trojan Horse of Google Assistant Features: Assistant on iPhones via Google Maps
If you’re looking for a place where Google is going to lean into its strengths against Alexa, look no further than the car. It’s one of Amazon’s main targets for 2019, but Google has a significant advantage: people are already used to using their phones for navigation in the car.
Beyond Android Auto, partners like Anker are making little lighter plug-ins that work with Google Assistant. A bigger deal, though, is that Google is going to bake Google Assistant into Google Maps. It may not be able to convince iPhone users to install the Google Assistant app, but it has a huge install base for Maps. Google says that Assistant in Maps will let you “share your ETA with friends and family, reply to text messages, play music and podcasts, and get information hands free.”
What’s next for Google Assistant features? Google says it’s committed to ensuring it works more elegantly with more devices, improving the setup process and the overall user experience.
Some More Google Assistant Features –
Booking a Ride
This one of the Google Assistant features is perhaps one of the most useful, as users can book their ride on the ride-sharing apps with just a simple voice command. Currently, some of the ride-sharing apps compatible with Google Assistant includes Grab, Uber, Lyft, Ola, and GO-JEK.
Since there are multiple ride-sharing apps available in numerous locations, Google Assistant will be able to compare the prices for each, allowing you to pick the most cost-efficient option. We have tested this out a few times on Google Assistant, and it works pretty well, as Google was able to recognize our test destination instantly and successfully.
New Design and Functions for Enhanced User Experience
One of the major Google Assistant features is its new redesign on mobile platforms. This redesign aims to improve the user experience, making controls and features easier to see and use. The new design incorporates bigger visuals to allow for easier usability, which makes the experience better for people of different ages and works as an accessibility feature as well.
Personalized interface for Android
Android users have an extra new feature on Google Assistant, and it allows them to view a personalized interface where you can view weather reports near the area, relevant news updates, and even videos or blogs you might be interested in viewing. Google has been focusing on personalized search results that cater to user preference, and seeing this new feature rolling out on Android is a great first step in establishing personalized preferences on the platform.
Key Takeaway
Google Assistant has become one of the most effective AI assistants thanks to numerous updates that continuously optimize its functionality to be able to perform tasks with a few commands and become a dependable voice search platform. More updates are bound to come Google Assistant’s way very soon, which means a new set of functions to try out, and more user-friendly systems to make it even more accessible.
In case you want to know more about the Google Assistant features or want to get a Google Assistant Action developed, drop in an email to us at sales@pragmatic-voice.com.
