MWC 2017: Google Assistant Expands Beyond Pixel to New Android Smartphones

Sunday February 26, 2017 1:41 PM PST by Mitchel Broussard
Google today announced that its AI helper, Google Assistant, will begin rolling out to users with smartphones running Android 7.0 Nougat and Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Previously, the company's AI assistant was exclusive to the Pixel smartphone, Google Home, the Google Allo app, and Android Wear devices.

Google Assistant will first arrive to English users in the United States this week, followed soon after with an English debut in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Support for German speakers will be coming soon, and Google said that it will "continue to add more languages over the coming year." Users with eligible Nougat and Marshmallow devices will automatically gain Google Assistant through Google Play Services.

Whether you need to know how to say “nice to meet you” in Korean or just a simple reminder to do laundry when you get home, your Assistant can help. With the Google Assistant on Android phones, you have your own personal, helpful Google right in your pocket.
A few new smartphones will be incorporating Google Assistant from the get-go as well, like the LG G6 and some other "newly announced partner devices." Sony, Huawei, Samsung, and HTC are all listed as companies with Android smartphones that will support Google Assistant.

With the expansion of Google Assistant to more smartphone lines, as well as a future launch on TVs and in cars, Google is continuing to bolster the Assistant's competition against Apple and Siri. Many smartphone vendors are reported to be doubling down on artificial intelligence features for smartphones debuting in 2017 and beyond, including Apple with the "iPhone 8" and an update to Siri that is said to bring more "enhanced" capabilities to the personal assistant.

In its announcement post, Google said that its ultimate goal "is to make the Assistant available anywhere you need it." Google's hope for an AI future was highlighted at a media event in October where it unveiled Google Home, the Pixel smartphone, and more, while connecting everything to its artificial intelligence initiatives.

Previous Coverage: Siri and Pixel's Google Assistant Compete Side-by-Side in New Video

Tags: Google Assistant, MWC 2017
18 comments


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canny
19 months ago
The iPhone was 5 years ahead of the rest of the world. Tim Cook has thrown it all away.
Rating: 6 Votes
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yg17
19 months ago

Honestly Siri kinda sucks compared to the other options now. She is good for setting an alarm and that's about it IMHO.

If the iPhone 8 isn't revolutionary, I'm switching away to Google.


Why wait?

I recently switched from iOS to Android (Google Pixel) and the only complaint I have is that I didn't do it sooner.
Rating: 4 Votes
Avatar
travwill
19 months ago
Honestly Siri kinda sucks compared to the other options now. She is good for setting an alarm and that's about it IMHO.

If the iPhone 8 isn't revolutionary, I'm switching away to Google.
Rating: 3 Votes
Avatar
Winni
19 months ago
*

Sounds like a huge potential privacy nightmare to me.



Well, the NSA and other intelligence services could already turn your normal landline or any normal cell phone into a microphone decades ago. All Internet traffic is fetched directly from the backbone routers anyway, they don't necessarily need direct access to anybody's computer or phone to know what you're doing. So these assistants do not potentially add more to the mix than there already was. There never was any privacy on the Internet to begin with...
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Siri is a lobotomized AI.


Once you've worked with Amazon's Alexa, you don't want to use any of the other assistants anymore. And since Alexa is an open and developer friendly platform, we will be hearing a lot more of her in the future.
Rating: 2 Votes
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Col4bin
19 months ago

Why wait?

I recently switched from iOS to Android (Google Pixel) and the only complaint I have is that I didn't do it sooner.

It's funny because I just switched back to the iPhone 7 Plus from a Nexus 6. While Apple's hardware and iOS is top of the line IMO, Siri is a dog compared to the Google app's voice command function.
Rating: 1 Votes
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sorgo
19 months ago
Sounds like a huge potential privacy nightmare to me.
Rating: 1 Votes
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MH01
19 months ago

What carrier are you on?

If you want my honest opinion, get an Android phone that doesn't cost $800, just in case you aren't satisfied. The OnePlus 3T is a phone nearly as good as the flagship $800 Android phones, at about half the price (the reason I asked about your carrier was because the OnePlus doesn't work on Verizon).

I myself got my used Nexus 6P on eBay for $360.

Get a phone that you can keep a month and really try out. The 14-day return period isn't quite enough if you ask me.


Cheers for the advice. I'm on three in the UK.
Rating: 1 Votes
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v0lume4
19 months ago

Cheers for that. Now very tempted to give the pixel a go. My 6s plus battery is shot, so deciding between an iPhone 7 or pixel

What carrier are you on?

If you want my honest opinion, get an Android phone that doesn't cost $800, just in case you aren't satisfied. The OnePlus 3T is a phone nearly as good as the flagship $800 Android phones, at about half the price (the reason I asked about your carrier was because the OnePlus doesn't work on Verizon).

I myself got my used Nexus 6P on eBay for $360.

Get a phone that you can keep a month and really try out. The 14-day return period isn't quite enough if you ask me.
Rating: 1 Votes
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