The highly expected Google Pixel 4 is going to feature a whole bunch of new hardware, including radar in the sensors facing the front, but it will also pack a new software. The most significant tweak will be the new Google Assistant, which comes with more features than all the previous versions.
9to5Google released some leaked promotional videos that allow us to peek into what to expect from the updated Google Assistant.
Google Assistant Works Without Hotword Commands
The leaked video shows two people using voice commands to manage aspects of their device. In the first half, the Assistant is asked where the closest metro station is; after getting the directions they need, the pair ask Google to send a message to their friend to tell them they are on their way.
In the second half of the video, another person is depicted in a remote area on a lake and asks the Assistant to enable the Do Not Disturb mode, which it does perfectly.
Even though the current version of the feature can already do these things, the video offers a view on how different the new Google Assistant looks. It has a much simpler user interface and comes with a colorful bar at the bottom that reacts differently with every function on the software.
Another video depicts a user receiving a text from a friend asking when their flight lands. The person then asks the Assistant what time their flight is, and the software brings up the information without even switching apps. They then ask the Assistant to send a text without using a hotword command.
This is something more advanced the current Assistant is unable to do, at least to this level of effectiveness. The perfect transition from a command to another without needing to say a hotword command is also brand new and quite impressive.
Well done, Google.
