Google has released a frontend update for 'Google Assistant' for Android. The new add-on is called Snapshot. Thanks to her, not only transcribed dialogues will appear in the voice assistant window, but also collections of other useful information. They will include summaries of the weather in the area where the user is, a list of scheduled appointments from the Calendar, reminders, notes, interesting events that are taking place nearby, and much more. All information will be updated in real time, taking into account all the changes taking place.
Google Assistant just got better with the latest update
Despite the fact that, by and large, Snapshot is a fairly pass-through update, which, in fact, does not expand the capabilities of the 'Google Assistant' in any way, but only aggregates information that it already has access to, in fact, Google's decision to display its on the screen is pretty useful. After all, this only brings the assistant closer to being called your personal assistant, or, if you prefer, a personal secretary, who is always on alert with a list of relevant data.
How to use the Google Assistant
Let me explain with my example. Most of the time I turn to the Google Assistant about the weather. I do not have special applications with the weather on my smartphone, like some of them, so I ask the assistant to voice the forecast for today. This turns out to be really faster than opening, for example, the Yandex home page, and then going to the section with the weather and watching how it changes during the day. And thanks to the update, now you can not even say the request itself, but simply call the assistant and glance at the screen: the necessary information will appear there automatically.
Snapshot content is highly customizable and changes based on your preference. Let's say you don't want to see events and activities that are taking place nearby in the Google Assistant interface, but want, for example, to constantly track the birthdays of friends and colleagues at work. Therefore, you just bring the block with the calendar to the screen and see exactly it. Moreover, if you wish, you can turn off all these prompts altogether and use the assistant precisely as a voice assistant answering questions, and nothing more.
Updating the Google Assistant
Apparently, this update, like many before it, is not distributed through Google Play, but by applying changes to Google servers. For this reason, not everyone will be able to access the updated Google Assistant interface right now. So all you have to do is wait. Obviously, a few more days will pass and the necessary changes will take effect, opening up the opportunity for you to take a fresh look at the seemingly familiar service that can significantly facilitate your interaction with your smartphone.
Google Assistant is an extremely useful voice assistant. Personally, I have never come across a more functional solution capable of performing such a wide range of tasks. Until recently, I used it and did not know grief, but at some point I realized that 'Alice' from Yandex was the preferred option for me for a number of reasons. Despite the fact that she is not under the control of up to half of the capabilities of the “Google Assistant”, “Alice” has an excellent pronunciation that does not scare you, as well as a hidden range of functions, which turned out to be more important and useful for me.