Google Assistant for iOS has been updated with native iPad support today. The design looks essentially the same as the iPhone version, but with an interface optimized for the larger 7.9-inch to 12.9-inch screen sizes of Apple's tablets.

google assistant ipad
Like rivals Siri, Alexa, and Cortana, Google Assistant is a digital assistant that can set reminders, schedule calendar appointments, answer questions, and provide other information through machine learning techniques.

Apple only allows third-party assistants to function within their apps, however, limiting their usefulness versus Siri on iPhone and iPad. For example, Google Assistant can't be invoked with a voice command when an iOS device is locked.

Nevertheless, iPad users now have one more option to choose from alongside Siri, Alexa, and Cortana. Google Assistant is free on the App Store.

Update: Google has shared a press release highlighting a few ways its assistant can be used around the house:

- Set the mood by having the Assistant "dim the lights"
- Cast to your TV by asking the Assistant to "watch the latest news on the living room TV"
- Stay in touch by asking the Assistant to "video call mom" or "text Lauren"
- Keep up with your chores by asking the Assistant to "remind me to take out the recycling at 8 PM"

Google Assistant for iPad is currently available in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Related Forum: iPad

Top Rated Comments

HJM.NL Avatar
75 months ago
Nice to have a good assistant on the iPad. Lame Apple is limiting its functionality and not improving Siri.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
StellarVixen Avatar
75 months ago
Then why come to a site like MacRumors? A site that hosts all it's videos on Google owned YouTube?
Who am I to say MacRumors where to host their videos? They are free to do whatever they want. I am passionate opponent of Google for the reasons which are very good known to me, and I am not gonna force anyone to do anything. My opinion is my opinion, and do not wish to force it on anyone.

I have noticed that all of you Google apologists are using the same mantra, it is like someone installs this same code inside you, like you are all programmed in the same factory, so you go around and repeat: "Why do you do that, why do you this, if you (x) than why you (y)"... Do you realize that Google has taken pretty much monopoly over the great part of the Internet, and that whichever path you take, you will eventually reach one of the Google's services? Trying to totally avoid the Google in my life would be almost equal to stopping using the Internet at all".
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
StellarVixen Avatar
75 months ago
Google is tireless, it seems. All that data mining must be making Google's CPUs red hot...Google can also start providing central heating to the USA, giving how much waste heat their CPUs generate from all that tireless personal info processing. There you go, another "source of income". Don't worry, it will be free. You know, with Google, everything is "free" (if you don't read the fine print).
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WatchFromAfar Avatar
75 months ago
Google is tireless, it seems. All that data mining must be making Google's CPUs red hot...Google can also start providing central heating to the USA, giving how much waste heat their CPUs generate from all that tireless personal info processing. There you go, another "source of income". Don't worry, it will be free. You know, with Google, everything is "free" (if you don't read the fine print).
Then why come to a site like MacRumors? A site that hosts all it's videos on Google owned YouTube?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
barkomatic Avatar
75 months ago
Too bad Apple won't let it activate with a voice command without actually opening the app. If Apple isn't going to bother to improve Siri then they need to concede on this point. It used to be voice assistants were little more than a gimmick, but the good ones are actually getting useful. Siri sadly is still a gimmick with a pretty colorful image that undulates when spoken to.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarpalMac Avatar
75 months ago
I am passionate opponent of Google for the reasons which are very good known to me
So you're saying of this evil company that you don't and haven't ever made use of their many "free" services? Not to look at the location of a store on a map? No street or satellite viewing? Not even to search for an Apple rumor website?

So passionate apponent would surely never do such a thing.

Definite smell of double standards around here all of a sudden...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
anker new xmas 1

Anker's Cyber Week Sale Enters Final Days With Up to 60% Off Sitewide

Friday December 1, 2023 12:05 pm PST by
Anker's Black Friday/Cyber Week event is entering its final days this weekend, and it's still offering up to 60 percent off sitewide. There are also a few "mystery boxes" that can include hundreds of dollars in savings, if you're willing to risk not knowing what you're buying ahead of time. All of these sales will end on December 3. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Anker. When you...
General Apps Messages

Green Bubbles on iPhone to Gain These 7 New Features Next Year

Thursday November 30, 2023 9:00 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple announced that it will finally support RCS in the Messages app on the iPhone starting later next year. This change will result in several improvements to the messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices. RCS will become the new default standard for messaging between iPhones and Android devices, but these conversations will still have green bubbles like...
top stories 2dec2023

Top Stories: iOS 17.1.2 Released, NameDrop Misinformation, and More

Saturday December 2, 2023 6:00 am PST by
Apple employees are back to work following a Thanksgiving break, and that means this week saw a number of new operating system updates for both public release and beta testing. This week also saw some misinformation about Apple's new NameDrop feature making the rounds, while Apple and Goldman Sachs appear to be on the verge of a break-up in their Apple Card and savings account partnership,...
instagram messenger

Instagram and Facebook Messenger Chats to Disconnect This Month

Tuesday December 5, 2023 1:57 am PST by
Meta has revealed plans to end Instagram users' ability to chat with Facebook accounts later this month, rolling back a feature that it introduced over three years ago. In September 2020, Meta (then Facebook) announced it was merging its Facebook Messenger service with Instagram direct messaging, allowing Instagram users to chat with Facebook users and vice versa using the same platform....
iphone 5g mmwave

Apple's Work on 6G Connectivity Already Expanding

Monday December 4, 2023 7:00 am PST by
Apple's work on implementing 6G cellular connectivity on its devices appears to be ramping up, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that Apple is increasingly turning its attention to 6G, even amid its widely reported difficulties developing a custom 5G cellular modem. In 2021, the first highly specific Apple job...