Google: Google Assistant
Google Assistant is both the name of a consumer-facing assistant baked into consumer products as well as a platform designed to allow the Google search engine to interact with users in a conversational manner.
Google Assistant was announced in May 2016. It first appeared integrated into Google’s communication app Allo in September 2016. In October 2016, it was made part of the Google Pixel phone. In November 2016, it was put into the Google Home device. In February 2017, it came to Android Wear watches. In March 2017, it was widely released for Android phones running Android 6 and 7.
Google plans to add Google Assistant into more products and applications, but it hasn’t said what those will be.
For more about Google Assistant, see our stories below.
Google’s Assistant-everywhere strategy reminiscent of old site search playbook
Google Assistant "syndication" is a way to battle Amazon Alexa and expand its reach for later...
Voice assistant usage now at ‘critical mass’ as Google Assistant crowned smartest
Google Assistant scored 93%, Siri 83% and Alexa got 80% of answers right in a recent study....
Google Search Console doesn’t show data for featured snippets read by Google Assistant
In the second episode of #AskGoogleWebmasters, John Mueller explained some voice search nuances in...
Google swaps ‘voice search’ on Android for Google Assistant
Goodbye voice search, hello Google Assistant. The company is swapping out the familiar blue and red mic in favor of its Assistant on the home...
Study: 48% of consumers use voice assistants for general web search
Despite concerns about accuracy and privacy, the Adobe survey presents a mostly positive outlook for voice and virtual...
Alexa, Google Home now battling perception of being ‘surveillance’ devices
A new incident fuels the perception that smart speakers are spying on their...
Bullish forecast predicts 31 million Americans will ‘shop’ on their smart speakers in 2019
In this case, "shopping" doesn't include purchasing; however, digital goods and product re-ordering are also poised for growth....
Google brings ‘end-to-end’ food ordering to Search, Maps, Google Assistant
This is part of a larger effort to own consumer transactions and help users "get things done" on Google....
I/O announcements have some applauding and others shaking their fists
Marketers continue to accuse Google of stealing their...
Google takes baby steps to monetize Google Assistant, Google Home
There's a multi-faceted revenue model starting to...
Searching for facts, directions, local businesses are top digital assistant use cases, says survey
Smart speaker ownership jumped from 23 percent to 45 percent of respondents since last year's survey from Microsoft....
Smart speakers set to eclipse tablets globally by 2021
Commerce, advertising or something else: The smart speaker model hasn't been figured out....
Just 4% of businesses ‘voice search ready,’ says analysis of nearly 75,000 companies
Are your local SEO and business listing data optimization efforts ready for voice...
‘Rich Answers’ and search ads coming to Google Assistant
Beyond improving the experience, Google appears to be trying to harmonize Assistant and mobile search results....
Machine reservations: Google’s Duplex expanding to more Android, iPhone users
The technology appears to be ready for prime time as Google readies machine-based booking for categories beyond restaurants....
‘Google Guarantee’ local listings appearing in Google Home results
The Google Guarantee has been associated with Local Services ads, but the two programs are technically distinct....
Survey finds Google Home users do more, have ‘far higher’ satisfaction than Alexa owners
Alexa devices dominate, but higher Google Home NPS scores suggest it will have better word of mouth and could gain market share....
Study: Brands are failing voice search optimization in 3 key areas
Brands had limited or non-existent review-response strategies, failed to optimize for unbranded keywords and didn't do enough local-social...
Report: 65 million US smart speaker owners, smart displays quickly gaining traction
Surveys suggest there's still considerable room for...
Duplex-powered Google Assistant restaurant booking expanding to more states and users
Available on Pixel phones, it will be rolling out to other Android and iOS users in the near future....