Amazon has Alexa, Apple has Siri, but what does Google have? Google has a very powerful voice-assistant that can be used on a wide range of phones including iPhones. But why should iPhone users or anyone for that matter, download the voice-powered Assistant from Google? Let’s explore!
A virtual personal assistant that can be downloaded to a wide range of smartphones including iPhone, LG G6, Galaxy S7 and many other devices, the Google Assistant is one of the best offerings of the American multinational tech company headquartered in Mountain view, California. So, what exactly can you do with Google’s voice-powered virtual assistant? The list is endless but we’ve shortlisted the best features and functionality of Google assistant that the virtual assistant an edge over its rivals. So, without wasting any more time, let’s get straight to the best things you can do with your Google Assistant.
Control Devices in Your Home with Voice Commands
With Google Assistant, you can control the connected devices in your home using voice commands. Using the virtual assistant from Google, you can control smart devices in your home such as those from Phillips Hue, Samsung SmartThings, and Nest. Google has partnered with the providers of smart home devices to make it possible for homeowners to control their home devices using just voice commands.
With Google Assistant, you can control your thermostat, lighting and a few other devices from your phone using voice controls. Also, recently Google enabled the Assistant to provide support to Chromecast, meaning that now you can start streaming a YouTube, a Spotify, or a Netflix video on your phone and then transfer it to your TV using the Assistant provided the TV and your phone are connected to same Wi-Fi network. Additionally, you can play, pause and adjust volume by giving voice commands to the Assistant.
Manage Tasks
Google Assistant makes it extremely easy to manage everyday tasks. You can get sore thumbs if you use your smart phone for everything from texting to using it as calendar to setting your alarm to editing photos. Additionally, this can consume a lot of your valuable time. The good news is that you can longer need to use your hand to perform the aforementioned-functions on your smart phone. Using the virtual assistant from Google, you can set alarms, text and edit photos on your phone by simply giving voice commands to the Assistant to perform them. This will surely make your life a whole lot easier.
Listen to Music
Listening to music is a favorite pass time of many people and with Google Assistant, doing this has become a whole lot easier. You can find and play music using the virtual assistant from Google. The default setting of the Google Assistant makes it fulfill your requests using YouTube and Google Play Music. For example, the Assistant will complete your request with YouTube if you command it to search for a specific song or artist. On the other hand, it will look for a relevant Google Play Music radio station if your request a specific genre. Also, you can enable the Google Assistant to search the Play Music’s I’m Feeling Lucky station by simply saying ‘Play music’.
As google Assistant already supports Spotify and Pandora, you will only have to add in your request a third-party app. Once you’ve made the request, the Assistant will open the app for you, but from thereon in you will have to manage things the old-fashioned way.
Unlock Your Pixel
Do you hate it when your fingerprint or PIN unlocking appears on the screen, requiring an additional step to unlock the device? If yes, then there is good news for you: you can use the voice command of the Google Assistant to bypass this extra step and unlock the device. To activate this feature, navigate to your Google Assistant settings, click Ok Google Detection before selecting Trusted Voice to make your life easier.
Give Voice Commands to the Assistant Even When You’re Not Connected
This is not possible with most other virtual assistants. Though an internet connection is required for most Google Assistant’s features, you can perform tasks such as playing music, managing alarms and adding events to your calendar even when your phone isn’t connected to the internet. A lot of commands won’t work without an internet connection but even when you are offline, there are some voice commands that the Assistant will respond to and perform on your phone. Following is a list of such commands:
- Screen dimming
- Playing music
- Adjusting the volume on the phone
- Opening an app by name
- Toggling flashlight, Airplane mode, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
- Adding an event to your calendar
- Setting and cancelling alarms
- Making calls and sending texts to contacts
Find the Best Places to Eat and Hang Out in a Locality
Often, it can be difficult to choose the best place to eat or hang out in an unfamiliar area. You and your friends ponder and debate for hours where you should eat or hang out in the locality, eventually settling for a place that turns out to be a complete disaster. The good news is that you can avoid that happening to you and your friends by using the Google Assistant.
Just ask the Google Assistant to show your nearby restaurants or public places and the Assistant will give you a list of restaurants or spots with the best ratings. The restaurants listed by the Assistant will be exhibited with their address, directions and contact information.
The things above are just a few of the countless things you can do with your Google Assistant. So, what are the other reasons to bring the Google Assistant home? Get in touch with us to find out.
by Bobby J Davidson
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