Google is bringing its Siri, and Alexa rival, Google Assistant, to television screens. The search giant previously stated plans to bring their assistant to various hardware during their I/O conference back in May last year.
It was only a matter of months before the assistant found a home in the palms of users hands with the Google Pixel line, played cicerone in living rooms as part of Google Home, and guided conversations with Google Allo. Today, Google announced the assistant is ready for prime time, as the company gears up to unleash the assistant upon Android TV.
As expected, you will be able to ask your TV questions and pull up relevant Google search results. The assistant is also able to sync with your Google account, giving you access to your calendar, find out the weather forecast, as well as other generic or expected queries.
There is a caveat, however, as the assistant will only support devices that are compatible with Android 6.0 Marshmallow or Android 7.0 Nougat. Google has released a list of devices that will be among the first to receive the update below:
- AirTV Player
- All Android TV televisions in the United States on Android 6.0 or Android 7.0 (including Sony Bravia and Sharp Aquos lines)
- Nvidia Shield
- Xiaomi Mi Box
If you currently own Google Home in combination with Chromecast, then you essentially have the functionality of the Google Assistant between the two devices. However, by integrating the assistant with Android TV, Google is offering less clutter by removing any extra hardware for those fortunate to own both gadgets.
Unfortunately, there has been no official release date as to when the update will begin to roll out. We will keep you posted as we find out more.
Source: Engadget