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Google Assistant: What It Is and How to Use It
A guide to Google's conversational personal assistant
By Molly McLaughlin Molly McLaughlin Senior Editor & Content Strategist Molly K. McLaughlin has been a technology editor and writer for over a dozen years. She runs product reviews for Lifewire, overseeing the process from hands-on testing to publishing. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on June 16, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email In This Article
Expand Jump to a Section What Is Google Assistant Get Google Assistant Use Google Assistant Easy App Access With Google Assistant Shortcuts Subscription Settings Google Assistant Smart Replies Ask Google Assistant Questions Offline Frequently Asked Questions Google Assistant joins Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa, Samsung's Bixby, and Microsoft's Cortana in the lineup of digital assistants that can understand your voice and respond to commands or questions. Google Assistant is the driving force behind Google Home, and it's also available as an app for smartphones and tablets. The information below should apply no matter who made your Android device: Samsung, Google, Huawei, Xiaomi, etc. What Is Google Assistant
While Google Assistant shares some features with the assistants mentioned above, Google's version is more conversational, which means you can ask follow-up questions if you need more information. Google Assistant is built into the Google Pixel line of devices, the Android TV streaming platform, and Google Home, its smart home hub. Google Assistant keyword. Ethan Miller / Getty Images How to Get Google Assistant on Your Android Phone
The Google Assistant app is available for devices running Android 7.0 (Nougat) or later. Update your operating system if you need to, then go to the Google Play Store to download the app. How to Use Google Assistant
To launch Google Assistant, you can either long-press your device's Home button or say "Hey, Google" or "Okay Google." You should typically only have to do this the first time you open a conversation with the Assistant; enhancements to the original Assistant include a feature that allows you to ask multiple questions within the same request. However, once the interaction has ended, you'll need to say "Okay, Google" or "Hey, Google" again to start a new session. You can ask Google Assistant anything you'd ask a search engine, including information about state capitals, local weather, movie times, and train schedules. For example, you can ask for Vermont's capital city and then get directions to Montpelier or ask for its population. If you ask to see nearby restaurants, you can then filter that list to see only Italian restaurants or ask for a particular restaurant's hours. Google Assistant can even make a dinner reservation for you using an app like OpenTable. You can ask the Assistant to set reminders, send messages, or get directions. If you use Google Home, you can even ask it to turn on the lights and control your thermostat. You can also use Google Home as an intercom and set alarms with the Family Bell feature. If you create a Google Family Group, family members can communicate from any device with the Google Home app, including their phones. If Google Assistant turns on when you aren't trying to access it, you can turn off the OK Google voice feature. Easy App Access With Google Assistant Shortcuts
Google Assistant shortcuts make it easy to access an app and activate its functions with just your voice. Say something like, “Hey Google, pay my Capital One bill,” or “Hey Google, check my Yahoo Finance stocks.” The Assistant will open the app and finish your task or show results on the lock screen. To see all your voice command options for Google Assistant shortcuts, say, “Hey Google, shortcuts,” and you’ll see what else you can do based on your installed Android apps. Subscription Settings Offer Daily or Weekly Options
With Google Assistant, you can set up subscriptions for specific information, such as daily weather and traffic updates, news alerts, sports scores, and more. Just type or say "show me the weather," and then tap Send daily to subscribe. You can even tell the Assistant what time you'd like to receive your subscriptions, so you can get weather information before you leave for work and news alerts while you're drinking your morning coffee. At any time, you can call up your subscriptions by saying, "Show my subscriptions." Google Assistant Smart Replies
Like many Google products, the Assistant will learn from your behavior and tailor its responses based on past activity. These are called smart replies. For example, it may try to predict a response to a text from your spouse asking what you want for dinner or if you're going to see a movie by suggesting relevant searches or canned responses like "I don't know." Ask Google Assistant Questions Offline
Even if you have a burning question when you're not online, you can still talk to Google Assistant. It will save your query and then answer you as soon as you find a Wi-Fi hotspot. If you're on the road and spot something you can't identify, you can take a picture of it and ask the Assistant what it is or what it's made of using a reverse image search. The Assistant can also read QR codes. How to Use Guest Mode with Google Assistant FAQ How do you turn off Google Assistant? Say, "Hey Google, open Assistant Settings." Then, under All Settings, select General, and toggle Google Assistant off. How do you change Google Assistant's voice? Say, "Hey Google, open Assistant Settings." Scroll down to All Settings and choose Assistant voice, then choose the voice you want to use. How do you reset Google Assistant settings? If you need to retrain Google Assistant to recognize your voice, open the Assistant Settings, scroll down to Popular Settings, and choose Voice Match > Voice model > Retrain voice model. How do you use Google Assistant when the phone is locked? To enable Google Assistant on your lock screen, say, "Hey Google, open Assistant Settings," and select Lock screen. Then, toggle Allow Assistant on lock screen on. How do you install Google Assistant on Windows 10? There's no official way to get Google Assistant on Windows 10. Instead, download and install the Unofficial Google Assistant for Windows. After you set it up as a project in the Google Actions Console, you can use the keyboard shortcut Windows key+Shift+A to use Google Assistant while the program is running. How do you get Google Assistant on an iPhone? To get Google Assistant on an iPhone, download and install the official Google Assistant app for iOS from the App Store. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Use Google Assistant on iPhone How to Use Google Duplex to Make Restaurant Reservations How to Use Google Home as a House Intercom System How To Use 'Google Now on Tap' on Android How to Turn Off Google Assistant on an Android Tablet How to Use Cortana Notebook and Settings Features How to Use Google Home With Your iPhone How to Connect an Xbox to Google Home How to Set up and Use Google Assistant on Your Chromebook How to Sync Your Calendar to Google Assistant How to Set Up Google Home, Mini, and Max Smart Speakers How to Get Google Assistant for PC Can I Call Alexa From My Phone? OK Google Not Working? 12 Ways to Fix It How to Make Your Android Phone Read Your Texts How to Use IFTTT With Google Home Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies