Google Assistant: Tips and tricks for beginners and experts

Now that Google Assistant is available on Android Lollipop or later smartphones, more and more users can benefit from its ability to improve everyday life. You can involve the Google Assistant using a conversational style, much more natural than using commands. These tips will help you enter the world of Google Assistant and make the most of your virtual helper’s potential.

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Set up Google Assistant for the first time

If you have never used Google Assistant before, don’t worry, despite its complex abilities, it’s easy to set up. If you have at least Android Lollipop or a later version on your phone, here is the procedure to follow.

Start Google Assistant by long pressing the Home button
In the screen that appears, press the Continue button
Give consent to the assistant to access your information
Teach them to recognize your voice by pressing Start

Customize Google Assistant

Select the right Google account: the first thing you should do is make sure you have selected your main Google account, especially if you have more than one. Start Google Assistant, press your profile image in the upper right, then click on Account and select the one you want.

Access the settings: start Google Assistant, press your profile image in the upper right to open the menu, then press Settings. At this point you will see various tabs where you can customize all the information that your assistant will have to show you.

Set up your favorite news sources: like the previous step, go to the settings, go to the Services tab and click on News. At this point you can add your favorite sources from which you want to stay up to date.

Set My Day: go to the Assistant settings and press My Day, present in the Assistant tab. In this screen you can select everything you want to see in the overview of your daily life. The choices include weather, home-work travel, upcoming dates, reminders and news.

The Basics

Asking Google Assistant to do something is extremely easy. It is not necessary to memorize all the commands, simply talk to them naturally, so that you won’t even have to stop and think. The sentences to be spoken to Google Assistant to let you read the news or the summary of your day are those you would say to a common human being. For example: “Hey Google, open YouTube”, or “Ok Google, what’s the weather tomorrow?” Easy no?

That’s why Google Assistant can be useful …

Get the answer to your questions without lifting a finger
Play a song by a particular artist
Receive daily weather information
Check the calendar
Set alarms, reminders and stopwatch
Make phone calls
Read and respond to messages

The last of these features listed above is truly exceptional, but unfortunately only works with SMS. Just tell Google Assistant “Ok Google, show me my messages” and he will show you the unread ones. You can also ask “Hey Google, are there any messages?” and he will do the same. Also, you can also say Reply to be directed to the SMS app.

More advanced tips and tricks

Once you are familiar with the basic features of Google Assistant, you can start using more complex features. Here are some examples …

Receive personalized news and sports results as soon as you wake up
Ask Google to show you the route to work in the morning
Find the nearest bar for a business meeting
Receive flight information or other news in real time
Translate from and to another language at any time

Moreover, among the various functions there is also Screen Context, which will show you the most important information relating to what you are viewing on your screen by a long press on the Home button. Even the integration with Google Keep is very interesting and allows you to add new ingredients to your shopping list in a very simple way. You can even add multiple items at a time, just say “OK Google, add juice, eggs and milk to my shopping list.”

Check your Smart Home with Google Assistant

Google Assistant, in addition to reaching your smartphone and being part of your digital life, can also control the physical environment of your smart home. If you have a smart thermostat, you can tell it to set the temperature at 23°. If you have smart lights, you can check if they are on, turn them off remotely or turn them on in a particular room. As smart home technology catches on, you will increasingly rely on Google Assistant as a command center.

Have fun with Google Assistant

Let Google Assistant know you’re bored: there are so many things it could do to entertain you and your friends. Just ask him “The things you know how to do” and he will list a series of fun activities to choose from. He can recite a poem, play funny videos, make the beatbox for you or teach you something at random.

Have you tried Google Assistant? Which ways do you prefer to use it?