As part of the fifth anniversary of Google Assistant, the technology company announced a series of new features to this Artificial Intelligence service present in mobile devices and smart speakers.
Google said that the Assistant is already part of users’ lives to solve everyday tasks such as playing playlists in streaming services, checking traffic or weather for the day, activating electronics in a connected home, all using voice commands.
In a statement, Google said that new commands would arrive soon for the Latin audience to send voice messages faster, make the Assistant read a page, adapt a driving mode, play podcasts and provide ephemeris of the Latin American context.
Now by saying “Hey Google, send a voice message,” the Assistant will confirm the contact, guide the person to record the audio and then send it, all without the need to touch the screen, plus Google will ask for the application, this can be Messages, WhatsApp or Duo.
The second function is convenient for people with some visual weakness because the Assistant will read aloud the content of web pages such as blogs or newspaper articles. The user will have to mention the command “Hey Google, read this page to me” as long as the user is on the selected site.
Then comes an enhancement to access the faster driving mode; by saying “Hey Google, start driving,” the Assistant will activate a simple layout on the device interface to start navigation and avoid distractions.
Google Assistant will also search for and play episodes from primary podcast streaming services such as Spotify and Google Podcast. Say, “Hey Google, play a Podcast.”
In order to disseminate content about Latin American culture, Google will add a relevant data service about artists, personalities, and relevant historical and cultural facts. To activate it, one will have to say, “Hey Google, what happened today in Latin history?”.
Finally, Google recognized that Spanish has become the second most used language in the Assistant and worldwide, it reaches 500 million monthly active users.
The Assistant is currently available in 90 countries and offers more than 30 languages.
