Photo: 9to5Google
Google is currently working on a new Google Assistant feature that would make the way we use voice commands much more seamless and convenient, both on the phone and in the car.
Codenamed “Guacamole,” the update was first spotted nearly two months ago, but more evidence was discovered earlier this week, most likely as the development phase has reached the point where Google started testing the feature with the help of company employees.
So what is Guacamole supposed to do? In just a few words, this new feature makes the interaction with Google Assistant more straightforward by eliminating the need to first say “Hey, Google” before a command.
In theory, in the case of an incoming call, you can just answer with a voice command by simply saying “Answer.” With the current implementation, you would technically have to say “Hey, Google, answer the call” to do the same thing without relying on touch input.
According to the very limited information that Google provides in the internal tests, the feature makes it possible to “skip saying Hey Google for help with quick tasks.” Guacamole is therefore described as voice shortcuts, essentially making it easier to interact with Google Assistant overall.
It goes without saying such a feature would really come in handy for drivers, especially because the hands-free interaction with the technology behind the wheel must be as convenient as possible.
It remains to be seen, however, how Guacamole will continue to evolve, especially because it’s likely it would end up making more quick tasks more straightforward, possibly even including navigation and music playback activities.
At this point, it’s still not known when Google plans to roll out this new capability, so for the time being, you’d better not hold your breath for a public launch. The feature is still in the internal testing stage, but it’s likely to show up in the beta builds of the Google app in the coming months.
So what is Guacamole supposed to do? In just a few words, this new feature makes the interaction with Google Assistant more straightforward by eliminating the need to first say “Hey, Google” before a command.
In theory, in the case of an incoming call, you can just answer with a voice command by simply saying “Answer.” With the current implementation, you would technically have to say “Hey, Google, answer the call” to do the same thing without relying on touch input.
According to the very limited information that Google provides in the internal tests, the feature makes it possible to “skip saying Hey Google for help with quick tasks.” Guacamole is therefore described as voice shortcuts, essentially making it easier to interact with Google Assistant overall.
It goes without saying such a feature would really come in handy for drivers, especially because the hands-free interaction with the technology behind the wheel must be as convenient as possible.
It remains to be seen, however, how Guacamole will continue to evolve, especially because it’s likely it would end up making more quick tasks more straightforward, possibly even including navigation and music playback activities.
At this point, it’s still not known when Google plans to roll out this new capability, so for the time being, you’d better not hold your breath for a public launch. The feature is still in the internal testing stage, but it’s likely to show up in the beta builds of the Google app in the coming months.
Google News