Category: Google Assistant

YouTube Music, the newest music streaming service from Google, has for a long time been an option for US users to have as their default music option.  This was true of the old version of the service as well as the new one.  Now those of you in the UK have the same option to make YouTube Music your default music choice.

The update to enable the feature is a cloud-side update and will appear as an option in your music settings within Google Assistant.  Once enabled, you can say, “Hey Google, play Rush from YouTube Music” and it will play music from Canadian band on your Google Home device.

Google Home, and by extension Google Assistant, has quietly added iCal support for subscribed calendars in your Google Calendar.  To this point, Google Home could only read your primary calendar as well as holiday and birthday calendars.  But subscribed calendars couldn’t be read.  That now has changed.

If you have subscribed to an iCal calendar, you now have the option to add it to your list of calendars that can be read by Google Home and you can be updated when you ask about an event.

A new comment and code commit found in the Chrome OS Gerrit suggests that a merger of Google Assistant and the native notification are of the platform are to be merged.  The merging is aimed to make the notification the one area where you interact with all your notifications and Assistant and could be paving the way for a broader Google Assistant rollout in the platform.

Today, Google Assistant is only available on the Google Pixelbook and has both a dedicated button to access (although it can be configured to respond to “Hey Google”) and a dedicate area where it pops up when accessed.   There is a screenshot after the break for those that don’t have a Pixelbook.

At Google I/O in May, the company demonstrated what was both one of the coolest and most controversial future aspects of Google Assistant.  Using a human sounding voice, referred to as Duplex, Assistant placed a phone call on the users behalf to set an appointment.  The reaction to this has ranged from it being fake all the way around to this being the first indicator of the rise of the machines against humanity.  But the fact is that the technology is there and Google’s AI technology is stunningly powerful.  And it won’t be long before you get to try it yourself.

Google today published a video on their YouTube channel that highlights how Assistant will be able to get things done for you like setting up an appointment or reservation without you having to make the call yourself.  Take a look at the video.

[wpdevart_youtube]-qCanuYrR0g[/wpdevart_youtube]

While we are months away from having this smooth of an interaction, the basic building blocks are there now and public testing has begun.

A new update to the Google Camera app is making its way out in the wild today, bringing integration with Google Lens to Google Nexus and Pixel phones.  The updated version is 5.2.025 for those keeping score at home.

At Google I/O, the Mountain View company indicated that devices that were compatible with the Google camera app would be getting Google Lens integration in the app.  To date, that has rolled out for several manufactures like Sony, Motorola and OnePlus but not on Google’s own devices.

After trickling out over the course of the past few days, it looks like Google has pushed the big red button and the broad release of Continued Conversation for Google Assistant on Google Home is happening.  The feature, which was highlighted at Google I/O, is aimed to create a more natural conversation between you and Assistant without having to issue a “Hey Google” for every command.

Now you can say “Hey Google” once, issue a command (or a series of up to three commands) and Assistant through your Google Home will execute them.  Then it listens for another few seconds for a follow up command.  If you don’t issue a follow up command, or if you say “Stop” then it no longer listens and goes back into waiting for you to say “Hey Google”.