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Google Assistant is coming to more speakers and appliances
Last May, Google opened up its AI Assistant's software development kit to the wider world of third-party smart devices, including blenders, smart locks and web cameras. At the IFA in Berlin, Google has just announced that even more gadgets will be able to integrate Google Assistant. You'll soon see the digital helper in more speakers, various appliances and home automation systems.
'Ok Google' now works in Android Auto
With its large icons and stripped back interface, Android Auto is a simpler, safer way to access music and maps in your car. It's also designed for voice, and finally Google has enabled "Okay Google" commands for everyone. That means you don't have to touch the screen, or your phone, to start speaking with Google's assistant. The feature might sound small, but for drivers this could be a revelatory addition. Whether you want to switch playlists, check the weather, or settle an argument (how old is Obama again?) you can do this without taking your hands off the steering wheel. The feature was announced at Google I/O, and a few weeks back it started rolling out to select drivers. As a post on Google+ indicates, it should now be available to everyone who has Android Auto set up in their car. That could be through a compatible infotainment system, or directly through your smartphone with the Android Auto mode enabled. If you haven't already, maybe give it a whirl while you're driving home this Christmas.
'OK Google' is finally coming to Android Auto
The major selling point of Android Auto is that it brings smartphone-like apps and services to your vehicle. Google Maps, access to music and weather updates are now taken for granted, but it's remained a mystery over why one of Android's most useful hands-free commands -- "OK Google" -- has taken so long to come to the infotainment software. Luckily, the search giant has finally recognized the need for the feature and is in the process of rolling it out, albeit at a slow pace.
Hands-free 'Ok Google' commands come to Google Maps
The "Ok Google" command has expanded since the debut of Android KitKat, allowing devices to respond in various smart ways to those two words. Now, Google Maps on Android has this ability too, whether you're in the middle of a road trip or doing something else. Once it's enabled in settings, you can choose whether it works only while Maps is open or from any screen. Say the magic phrase then follow it up with something like "find a gas station" or "How's traffic ahead?" and it will let you know.
'OK Google' voice-activated search removed from latest Chrome release
Some of the most notable changes to the latest version of Chrome are what's going away, rather than what's new. A few days ago, Google confirmed that it was removing the notification center in Chrome for Mac, Windows and Linux, and now with Chrome 46 out users are noticing another missing feature. It looks like you can no longer automatically kick off a Google search by using the "OK Google" activation phrase. The feature originally got its start in Android, but as of last year you could say "OK Google when you had a new Chrome window open (or were on Google.com) to start voice search. If you got hooked on voice search on the desktop, you can still initiate it by clicking the little multicolored Google microphone, but Chrome is no longer listening for your command. If you're a Chromebook user, though, this feature will stick around. The Chrome releases blog has more details on what's changed in Chrome 46.
Google voice search can now hear what you've got to say
Need a better reason to say "OK Google" in public? Well, the search engine just announced a refinement to voice search on its research blog. Now, it can more accurately pick out your voice even in noisy surroundings, and perform the necessary analysis in real-time. This is all made possible by software that can make faster phoneme predictions by listening further ahead in a user's speech.
'Ok Google' prompt becomes more useful for iOS users
Google has rolled out a new update for its iOS app, which considerably upgrades what its voice prompt can do. Now, the app can take what's loaded on your browser into account when answering questions. If you're reading an article about George Washington, for instance, it instantly knows who you're talking about when you ask: "Ok Google, when did he become president?" No need to specify who "he" is -- the assitant even dictates the main answer in addition to returning the typical search results. If you're reading about a certain location, say Disneyland, you can ask "Ok Google, how do I go to this place?" and it will tell you how to get there by car or other means. The latest version of Google for iOS also returns more detailed local search results and lets you copy-paste from anywhere in the app. You can download it right now from iTunes if you want to be able to do more hands-free search queries.
'OK Google' voice commands bound for even more third-party apps
Google wants even third-party Android apps to be able to do searches using "Ok, Google" voice commands, so it's now making it easier for developers to integrate the feature. Now, all devs have to do is add a few lines of code to their AndroidManifest.xml -- they can even copy and paste those lines straight from the company's post in the Android Developers Blog. After that, users can issue vocal commands to make a query (for instance: "Ok Google, search for hotels in Maldives on TripAdvisor") from within the app. They can even do that from any screen on their phones, so long as they activate hot-word detection. Cool, right? Unfortunately, this feature also has limitations: it will only work for folks with phones running Jelly Bean and above, and only for those in English-speaking locales.