Google Assistant

Beyond a dark theme in September, Assistant reminders are rarely updated and Google is now getting rid of the ability to “set reminders at locations.”

Nearly two years after the last settings redesign, Google is taking another stab at making it easier to control and manage the ever-growing list of what Assistant can do.

Google’s Nest Hub has a huge variety of uses, but one of its best is also one of the simplest – a bedside alarm clock. However, Nest Hub alarms really need some quality-of-life touches.

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 got a huge boost earlier this month as Google Assistant finally arrived, but it seems that has caused some problems. Since Assistant hit the Galaxy Watch 4, users have noticed problems with battery drain and even their watch unpairing itself.

In March of 2021, Google started using federated learning on Android to improve “Hey Google” hotword accuracy. An upcoming “Personalized speech recognition” feature now looks to help Google Assistant get “better at recognizing your frequent words and names.”

The delayed launch of the Google Assistant for Galaxy Watch 4 has been highly anticipated so we’ve gone hands-on to find out if it’s a massive step up.

Galaxy Watch 4 owners have been waiting for Google Assistant since Samsung launched the wearable with just Bixby last year, and support is now officially launching today.

The Chromecast with Google TV is a great product, but it’s one that’s clearly showing problems as it ages. One issue is that the Chromecast hasn’t received an actual system update in nearly six months, which is why a recent tweet from Google feels like such a tease.

At the start of this month, we spotted that the Nest Hub would get deeper Google Fit and Fitbit integration. You can now ask Google Assistant for your Fitbit and Google Fit stats.

We spotted how the Nest Hub is getting deeper Google Fit and Fitbit integration to let you see step count and other activity stats at the start of this month, and you some users can now connect either service to Assistant settings.

During this past week’s Google I/O keynote, the company officially announced the “Look and Talk” feature for the Nest Hub Max that we’ve been tracking. Now, just a few days later, that feature appears to be rolling out widely.

With its one-year anniversary approaching, the Galaxy Watch 4 is finally getting an actual timeline for one of its most anticipated features. Google Assistant is officially getting a release date on the Galaxy Watch 4 this summer.

At I/O 2022, Google is giving a surprising amount of attention to the Assistant Smart Display that it announced three years ago on the very same stage. “Look and Talk” will let you activate Assistant by just gazing at your Nest Hub Max, while Quick Phrases is also coming to give you another way to skip “Hey Google.”

At I/O 2021, Google announced that Assistant would help you change stolen credentials. This Google Assistant-branded, Duplex-powered capability for changing passwords is now rolling out in Chrome for Android.

At the moment, Google Assistant’s health integrations are limited to asking about sleep. Moving forward, you’ll be able to see steps, calories burned, and other activity metrics from Fitbit or Google Fit on the Nest Hub.

Google Assistant for the Galaxy Watch 4 should be coming, or at least supported, with the next Samsung system update.

After years of neglect, the spiritual successor to Google Now appears to be gone for good, with Google Assistant Snapshot disappearing widely across Android devices.