At CES 2020, Google has made several announcements related to Google Assistant. The key features include the ability to schedule actions for later, the ability to read articles out loud in a natural manner and in over 42 languages, and easy access to privacy settings. The company also expanded its Interpreter Mode feature to places like airports, banks, etc.
Here, we have listed all the new features coming to Google Assistant this year.
Scheduled actions
This feature will let you order Assistant to do a task in the future. You can ask Google Assistant to turn on or off a compatible device at the time of your choosing via the Google Home app. For example, you can say, “Hey Google, turn on the light at 6 am” and the connected smart device will be turned on at the mentioned time. This feature is rolling out later this year.
Screen reading
Google also announced the ability to read long articles using Google Assistant. You can say “Hey Google, read it” or “Hey Google, read this page” when you’re browsing an article, and the Assistant will read it out loud to you.
Further, the company says that this can also be translated into 42 languages including Hindi, German or Spanish. This feature will be available on Android phones later this year on Android v5 and above.
Interpreter Mode expands
Google introduced Interpreter mode last year which is a real-time translation feature to help communicate better for foreign languages. Now, this interpreter mode expands to new public places like airports, banks, organizations managing live events, aiding humanitarian efforts, hospitality management, and hotels, etc.
Easier access to privacy settings
Google also introduced some privacy-related settings to Google Assistant. Users will now easily be able to access privacy controls via the assistant. They can ask questions like “How do you keep my information private?” to get answers to the most common questions. They can also use commands like, “Hey Google, delete everything I said to you this week” and all the Assistant activity will be deleted easily.
Household notes on smart displays
Google Assistant will also get the ability to create household notes on the screen of smart displays for members of the house. For example, you can say, “Hey Google, leave a note that says I already fed Max breakfast.” It can be created by anyone without sign in and is scheduled to roll out later this year.
Just like sticky notes, Google Assistant will also enable users to set up speed dial contacts to quickly make calls.
Google says that Assistant is now available on more than 1 billion devices, and is used by more than 500 million users every month on several devices including smart speakers, phones, TVs, cars, smart displays, and more. Its user base should expand even more in 2020, as the company plans to push it on to varied ecosystems.
