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On the Pixel 7, Google Assistant's Tensor superpowers are more delightful (and helpful) than ever
Look for enhanced voice typing, At a Glance, quick phrases, and more
Google's new hardware may be the star of today's event, but as the company has demonstrated time and time again, it's Google software and services that really make using its devices the premium experience it is. With the arrival of the Pixel 7 series and Pixel Watch, Google's sharing a few enhancements to Assistant that really build off the fantastic Tensor-powered on-device interactions we first got to know with the Pixel 6.
Google Assistant's incredibly powerful settings menu may get a big usability upgrade
It's amazing what a little bit of organization can do
No one likes browsing through endless settings menus, especially as development continues to add extra features and functionality. An unorganized preferences menu can make even the most obvious settings feel like a chore to change, and there's no better example of this than the current state of Google Assistant. Luckily, the company is working on a total overhaul of Assistant's settings menu, finally bringing some improved organization into the mix.
Google Assistant can now warn when you need to change your password, and even help you change it
Announced last year, it's finally rolling out
Last year, Google announced it would be introducing a feature in Chrome for Android that would allow Assistant to help you change stolen passwords with a few taps. The company had said the new experience would roll out gradually, but it's only about now that more than a handful of users have started to get it on their devices.
You can finally launch Assistant Driving Mode from your home screen with a shortcut
No more relying on voice commands or Bluetooth auto-launch
It took longer than expected, but Google finally retired its legacy Android Auto for phone screens this year with Android 12. If you usually rely on your smartphone for navigation, media, and more in the car, you aren't out of luck. Assistant Driving Mode is the company's official replacement, but getting to it can be pretty annoying. A new shortcut makes it much easier for drivers to start heading to their destination.
Android Automotive won't leave you hanging next time you need to voice-dial for help
Google fixed an issue that prevented drivers from dialing 911
Android Auto makes it super easy to power your car's infotainment system right from your phone, and in some vehicles, it's built in right from the ground up. Android Automotive lets drivers enter navigation, browse through songs and playlists, and of course, activate Google Assistant, all without the need for an external smartphone. Of course, all of that functionality often brings along the risk for bugs, and with a new update, Google is fixing an issue that prevented some users from voice-calling 911.
Firing up the new Assistant Driving Mode can be frustrating, but a new tweak might make it easier for some
Bluetooth auto-launch gets you on the road a whole lot faster
With Android 12, Google is officially retiring its legacy Android Auto for phone screens app, finally transitioning to Assistant Driving Mode after a premature announcement in 2019. Its new car-friendly UI is off to a great start, but it definitely remains a work-in-progress. One of the most common complaints facing Assistant Driving Mode is its clunky launch method, but a new update goes a long way to fix it.
Google Assistant will soon let you mute alarms or answer calls without saying 'Hey Google' on phones
'Hey Google,' you got annoying
You can do a lot using Google Assistant on your phone or smart display with nothing but your voice. However, saying "Hey Google" for doing every simple thing can get annoying very fast. In April, we discovered that Google was working on fixing this with a "Quick phrases" feature in Assistant that would let you skip saying the obligatory hotword for basic tasks. More details about this feature have since emerged, and now, 9to5Google has managed spot how exactly Quick phrases will work on mobile initially.
Google Assistant Reminders only now got a dark theme — with no Material You to be seen anywhere
At this pace, we'll see Material You sometime in 2023
Just in time for Material You to arrive with the imminent Android 12 launch (if the leaks are to be believed), Google has finally updated the Assistant Reminders with a proper dark mode respecting your system-wide theme. That’s right — this is not the Material You update, it’s just a dark theme, which Google introduced support for all the way back in 2019 with Android 10.
YouTube's latest experiment saves you the troubling of Googling everything you watch
Extra information, all kept in the video description
Like any Google product, YouTube often experiments with new features, giving users access to incomplete projects to get feedback on what’s next for the world’s largest video sharing platform. The company recently made it a lot easier for anyone to try out these tests — though you have to be a paid Premium subscriber to access them. The latest experiment looks to bring search and videos a little closer, and it’s available for Android users now.
Google brings us up to speed with what's new-new (and kinda-new) for Android
The teased Android TV remote, some Gboard improvements, and a few Pixel-exclusive features are coming to your phone
Today, Google has announced the rollout of a whole pile of "new" features for Android and Android Auto — 16 changes, by Google's count. Of course, this is Google, so "new" in many of these cases means they've been spotted in testing for months, and you may have been using many of them already. The tweaks cover a wide range, including accessibility improvements and Android Auto (which we'll cover separately to help streamline things just a little bit), but highlights include a new remote control for Android TV built right into your phone, an Assistant reminders hub, several time-saving Gboard improvements, and the trickle-down of a few Pixel-exclusive features.
The Google app is getting a new Assistant weather widget
Unfortunately there's no sign of Weather Frog
At-a-glance weather has to be one of the most popular options for homescreen widgets out there. So it's strange that Google doesn't have a self-branded option, beyond the tiny little nugget in the Google News widget. It looks like that's about to change: code in the Google app indicates that a new Assistant-branded weather widget.
Google squashes Android Auto location bug so you can search for services near you again
It no longer thinks you're always at home
One of the little Google features we probably all take for granted is being able to easily find services near to us via Maps, Assistant, Search, etc. Unfortunately, some Android Auto users have been encountering a bug that meant searching for anything "near me" or "nearby" would return results close to the users' homes, rather than their current location. Thankfully, Google says it's rolled out a fix.
Google confirms it's the end of the road for Android Auto on phone screens
It's going away with Android 12
Read update
A couple of years ago, Google announced an all-new experience for drivers seeking to use their phones hands-free without endangering others. Dubbed "Assistant Driving Mode," it was intended to replace Android Auto's dated display — until suddenly, it wasn't. Instead, Google developed a shortcut for Android 10 devices, designed to keep the old Auto interface alive and well while work continued on Assistant Driving Mode. With the newer app slowly arriving throughout various regions worldwide, the old UI is on its way out.
Google Duplex could soon get you a spot on your favorite restaurant's waitlist
Finally, your chance to get a table at Dorsia
Google Duplex still feels like magic to this date, allowing you to place reservations, order food, and get accurate business opening hours without ever placing a phone call yourself. And it looks like you'll soon also be able to get a spot on a phone-based restaurant waitlist, according to VentureBeat. One of the publication's journalists is part of a random limited A/B that gives him access to a new "Request to join waitlist" button in business listings on Google Maps.
Google Assistant can't handle all your online shopping for you, but it's testing taking over the checkout process
A new 'fast checkout' feature that fills in details for you is live for one convoluted method of accessing Hot Topic
Last year, Google said it was "piloting" a program to allow the Assistant's Duplex feature to handle shopping, and now a public test of that feature has been spotted. It isn't live for us in our own testing, but some folks are seeing a new "fast checkout" Assistant prompt for a specific and convoluted workflow when purchasing content from Hot Topic online, which automatically fills payment and address fields during the checkout process.
Google adds toggle to divorce the Assistant from its corner gesture in Android 12 Beta 3
If you feel like keeping gesture navigation but don't want the corner-swipe
In hindsight, it was a curious omission, but when Google debuted the diagonal swipe gesture to trigger the Assistant in Android Q/10, the only way to disable it was to change navigation modes or just straight-up disable the Assistant as your assistance app. Now, as of Android 12 Beta 3, it's something you can separately disable if you'd like to.
Google's built-in price tracking for Chrome is inching closer to reality
It helps make shopping products at their lowest price much easier
It's no secret that we're constantly looking for ways to save our hard-earned cash when we purchase things. While there are plenty of resources to help us hunt for deals, it still requires a bit of work on our end to find the best prices. Thankfully, Google has been working to bring a price tracker to Chrome for Android, and with a future update, it could be even easier to find products at their best prices.
Lenovo makes the Smart Clock 2 and its wireless charging add-on official
Along with a bunch of new tablets, including that massive one with an HDMI-in port
Lenovo's Smart Clock series looks like something that fits right into Google's smart home lineup, and it does, despite being third-party hardware. The second generation of the Smart Clock has been leaked more than once already, but today it gets official. the design looks a lot like the original, with the biggest change being an option for an add-on wireless charger for your phone.
Google moves Assistant lock screen settings to the foreground so people can actually find them
No more digging through menus just to flip a switch
Assistant has been going through a ton of changes lately. From skipping out on activation phrases for specific tasks to a new look for conversations and responses, Google is throwing itself into making its AI service better than ever. Of course, not every change is a groundbreaking improvement — some quality-of-life tweaks go unnoticed until just the right time. Google has given its Assistant lock screen settings an all-new placement to help surface the options for more users.