All the brilliant things you can do with a Google Assistant

Digital assistants used to be reserved solely for sci-fi films and comic books, but in 2020 you’ve probably already got one in your hand. Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri are all embedded on smartphones and laptops, and all of them are designed to designed to make technology a little easier to use. Basically, they put a human voice in front of some powerful tech.

Google’s Assistant – while not as well-known as Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa – is one of the best digital assistants around, and gives users the ability to do everything from set reminders to play music, read the news, set reminders and even control elements of a smart home set up.

So, what can Google Assistant actually do? We’ve put together a list of the top functions you can do with Google Assistant.

What is Google Assistant actually on?

As you’d expect, Google Assistant appears on most Google products. For example, smartphones like the Pixel 3a XL and Pixel 4 XL allow you to summon Google’s assistant with a squeeze.

However, you’ll also find Google Assistant on other Android phones, wearables and tablets, so if you’re holding something like a Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus or a OnePlus 7T, you’re not going to be left out. You can even use Google Assistant on an iPhone or iPad too: just download it from the app store.

In addition to smartphones, Google Assistant is also found on the search giant’s range of smart home products. The tiny Nest Mini speaker, larger Google Home and largest Google Home Max speakers feature it.

For the best Google Assistant experience at home you’ll want to pick up a smart display such as Google Nest Hub or Nest Hub Max. Although pitched as ‘digital picture frames,’ both the Hub and Hub Max offer so much more.

What can I do with Google Assistant?

Set an Alarm

Sometimes it’s worth starting off with the basics. Google Assistant may be powerful, but it also makes simple tasks a little quicker too. If you want to set an alarm, simply say “Hey Google, set an alarm for 9am” and it’ll be added to your alarm list in the clocks app.

Prepare for your day

If you’ve synched a calendar to your Google device, Google Assistant will be able to help you prepare for the next day – or provide a recap on the one you’ve just had.

Simply say “Google, what am I doing tomorrow,” and you’ll hear a list of your scheduled appointments and events. Say “what did I do today” and you’ll get a rundown on your appointments for the day just gone.

Open apps hands-free

If you want to open an app that’s buried somewhere on your phone, just ask Google Assistant to open it, and it’ll launch without any button presses.

Find the nearest….

Google Assistant sits between you and some of the company’s powerful apps – and that includes Google Maps. If you want to find out the nearest petrol station or fast food joint, just ask Google Assistant.

Depending on the information available, you’ll get the name of the place as well as the address, distance from you, and even the star rating.

Get to work on time

Digital assistants work best when you give them key bits of information in advance, and this is very much the case with this next feature. If you’re prepared to log your home and work addresses in Google Maps, Google Assistant will be able to calculate just how long it’ll take you to get to work or home. And yes, live traffic and transport delays are taken into account.

How do I get to...?

In addition to specific addresses, Google will tell you how long it’ll take to get to general places, too. For example, ask Google Assistant for directions to London and you’ll get an estimated time, map if you’re using a phone or Home hub and the exact distance.

Cleverly, that request is saved across all devices with Google Maps, so if you jump in a car with Android Auto straight after, one tap and it’ll appear on your sat-nav, too.

Catch up on the gossip

Google will brief you on the day’s news, and it’ll also pull out the key headlines from your favourite outlet. Ask for news from Heat World, you’ll get a list of the top celeb and TV stories. Do the same from any of your other favourite sites, and you’ll get a briefing from them, too.

Plus, you ca ask for info on a certain topic: ask for the latest on I'm A Celebrity, for example, and you'll get a load of facts from loads of different places, outlets and websites.

Control your lights

Google Assistant can be a very powerful tool if you’re building up a smart home, of even just using a few smart items. Most smart light systems can be controlled by Google’s assistant via their own app and then Google’s Home app. It sounds convoluted, but set it up once and it’s quick and easy.

Got Phillips Hue lights you want to dim? Just ask Google to turn down the lights to 30%, and it’ll just happen,

Turn the TV off

With Google Home just behind it, Google’s assistant can also power off other connected devices – and that includes selected TVs. Once again a few apps need to be linked for it to happen, but it’s possible to turn off your TV just by asking Google on any Assistant device.

Google Duo

Although not as popular as FaceTime, Google’s video calling app is easy to use – and even easier if you’ve got Google Assistant. Just say who you want to call on any Assistant-enabled device.

Routines

Like the sound of some of these functions, but wish you didn’t have to reel off commands one after the other? You’ll probably want to set up a routine.

These are simply a customisable list of commands and tasks that can be triggered by users automatically. Saying, “good morning” could play the news before reading out your day’s events, while “good night” could turn all the lights off and start a podcast – it’s totally customisable and up to you. And of course, it’s all activated by Google Assistant.

Things you can use Google Assistant on:

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