Google Assistant is perhaps the best voice assistant imaginable. It's smart, fast, functional. Unlike Siri, Google Assistant can really help by doing small errands, answering a variety of questions and giving useful ones. tips. It's a pity that Google's voice assistant could not perform several consecutive actions. Therefore, it was easier for users to do everything on their own, while a special 'Quick Commands' service was available on iOS, an analogue of which appeared on Android.
Quick commands added to Google Assistant
Google has released an update to the Google Assistant that brings support for so-called shortcuts, or quick commands. In fact, these are scenarios of several actions that can be performed sequentially one after another according to a predetermined command. Google offers basic commands by default in the Google Assistant settings. These are simple commands like 'Post a tweet', 'Open my YouTube subscriptions', 'Send a photo to WhatsApp'. However, if they are not enough for you, you can write your own scripts, which Google Assistant will execute without problems.
How Google Quick Commands work
This is not the first experience of the company in this direction. Last spring, she introduced a separate Action Blocks application for creating quick commands, but somehow it didn't fly. Therefore, it was decided to embed them directly into the Assistant interface.
- To find shortcuts or customize your own, call the Google Assistant;
- Open the full-screen version with a swipe up and click on the compass icon;
You can turn on quick commands in the Google Assistant settings
- In the window that opens, click on the context menu button and go to 'Settings';
- In 'Settings' select find and open 'Services' – the commands will be hidden there.
Here you can put together your own team to interact with compatible apps and name them what you like. But for convenience, it is recommended to name the command in an imperative mood like 'Send …', 'Do …', 'Publish …'. This will make it easier for you, given that the commands themselves will be given by voice when you access the Google Assistant.
To use apps in the Google Shortcuts you write, it's important that the apps themselves support them. In the meantime, there are not very many of them: Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, YouTube Music, Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, Uber and a few other popular services. However, if the function – as they say – comes to users, it is obvious that Google will continue to expand the list of compatible applications and over time there will be significantly more of them, and using a smartphone will be easier.
Why are quick commands needed
Quick commands make it easy to use smartphones
True, there is a small caveat: like all other updates, this is distributed gradually – apparently, in case there are any problems and Google could withdraw it. Therefore, do not be surprised if there is no new section on your smartphone yet. For example, on my Honor View 20 it still does not exist, but at the same time, users of some models Huawei already have it. This means that the rate at which an innovation appears does not depend on the brand of the device, spreading randomly.
Quick commands are very handy. Despite the fact that Google has not yet implemented them as it is done on iOS, what we are offered now is already better than nothing at all. With their help, you can automate many processes, stop wasting time on routine tasks. It's much easier to ask the Google Assistant to open the Tweet post window than to go to the app, look for the pen button and type the message manually. So be sure to try it. I think you will like it.