Last year Google announced their vision for the Google Assistant—which helps users get things done through a natural conversation, and is available wherever you need it. Since launching the Assistant last fall, they’ve been improving what it can do —from adding the ability to control more smart home devices with Assistant on Google Home and Android phones to bringing Assistant to new surfaces like Android Wear.
Yesterday, the company announced the introduction of new ways your Assistant can help you do even more.
Here is what Google is saying:
Ready to help
Of course your Assistant can help answer your questions and find information—but it can also help you get all kinds of useful things done. Today we’re adding a few more:
- Schedule new calendar appointments and create reminders. Starting today on Google Home, you can schedule appointments and soon you’ll also be able to add reminders. Since it’s the same Google Assistant across devices, you’ll be able to get a reminder at home or on the go.
- Make your home smarter. We now have 70+ smart home partners supporting the Google Assistant across Google Home and Android phones, including August locks, TP-Link, Honeywell, Logitech, and LG.
On Google Home, hands-free help is just an “Ok Google” away. Here are some of the new things you can do with the Google Assistant in your home:
- Make hands-free calls with Google Home. In the coming months, just ask your Assistant and it will connect you to mobile phones or landlines in the U.S. or Canada, free. There’s no setup and no need for a phone or additional app. And since we now support multiple people on one Google Home, your Assistant can make sure that you call your mom—not your partner or roommate’s mom!
- Enjoy more music, movies and TV shows. You can soon use Spotify’s free music offering, as well as Soundcloud and Deezer, with Google Home. We’re also adding Bluetooth support to Google Home, so you can play any audio from your iOS or Android device. For streaming video lovers, we’ve already added Netflix, and we have more partners on the way like HBO NOW, CBS All Access, and HGTV.
- Get visual responses from the Assistant on your TV with Chromecast. Later this year, we’ll add visual responses from your Assistant on TVs with Chromecast. You’ll be able to see Assistant answers on the biggest screen in your house, whether you’re asking “what’s on YouTube TV right now?” or “what’s on my calendar today?”
Plus, starting today developers can build conversational apps for the Google Assistant on phones. That means that soon you’ll be able to not only get help and answers from Google, but also from third party services.
