Google has started rolling out multi-user support for Google Home across households in the UK.
Originally launched in April this year in the US, the feature allows Google’s Assistant to distinguish between up to six people just by their voice.
As explained by Google’s Yury Pinsky, the feature relies on a neural network that “detects certain characteristics of a person’s voice.”
First, users must train the Assistant by saying phrases like “OK Google” and “Hey Google.” Once trained, Google Home will be able to recognize their voice and respond with personalized information, including access to things like personal music playlists as well as calendars and schedules.
Google Home launched in the UK earlier this year at £129, a considerably lower cost than Amazon Echo’s £149.99 price tag. Google’s Assistant also seems to be better at understanding and responding to questions when compared with Amazon’s Alexa, making the Home an ample competitor.
At its I/O developer conference last month, Google also announced that it would be bringing Home to five new markets.
The voice-assistant market is becoming crowded faster than one could have anticipated just a few years ago. Hopefully, the ability to recognize voices will also help stop the few who wish to exploit these newfound digital assistants.