This will make it easier to search for what you need without relying so much on the touchscreen
Google Assistant is finally going to stop playing favorites soon, as all Android apps will have access to voice command shortcuts, not just Google’s.
The top 30 apps on the Google Play store have already added new custom shortcuts that will make your voice commands for mobile and smart displays much more versatile, and more integrations could be coming soon.
It’s part of Google’s new “vertical intents”, which uses Google Assistant’s Natural Language Understanding (NLU) to figure out what you’re asking for, and then open up the proper page within any Android app that opts in.
This news came amidst a host of other new Google Assistant improvements, features and developer tools during its Google Assistant Developer Day.
To start, Google has revamped the “prosody”, or stresses and intonations, of its English-speaking Google Assistant voices, making them sound more natural.
Developers may also add voice-match authentication to their apps soon, as a way to authorize payment so that Google Assistant will be able to confirm whether it’s you.
Google designed many of its newest voice commands and “intents” with smart displays in mind, making it easier for you to search for what you need without relying so much on the touchscreen.
The company announced it had expanded its Interactive Canvas API, to create full-screen, voice-enabled experiences on your smart display focused on Education, Storytelling and games.
Essentially, you’ll be able to open up a language- or skill-learning class on your display and progress through it with voice commands (or the touchscreen) while you teach yourself. Kids learning at home will be able to access an entire Learning Hub of content through simple commands like “Hey Google, tell me a story”.
On the back end, developers were given a new API testing tool to check for “broken conversation paths”. Basically, if app developers are thorough, they can test every single variation of what users may ask, and make sure that the commands are a help rather than a hindrance while learning.
You’ll also see a burst of voice-enabled smart display games soon, as Google has created a resource hub with tools and free source code for developers to copy for their own experiences.