This Android hack brings Google Assistant to your non-Pixel smartphone

By Christian de Looper October 12, 2016

Google Pixel phone — Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Android Nougat has started rolling out to devices, boasting a number of awesome new features designed to make your life easier. One of the best of those features is Google Assistant, Google’s new digital assistant that replaces Google Now. Unfortunately, Assistant will only be available on certain phones like the Google Pixel, but it turns out that if you really want Assistant, there’s a hack to help you get it.

According to a post on XDA-Developers, if your phone is rooted and you have version 6.5.35.21 or newer of the Google app, you can edit a file with the name of build.prop to trick Google servers into thinking that its the Google Pixel XL.

You can also use a flashable image, which is available on XDA-Developers, but remember to backup your data before doing anything, just to stay on the safe side.

It’s important to note that really only those with sufficient technical know-how should try and hack their phone like this. Not only that, but only those who know what they’re doing should even root their phones — there are plenty of dangers with rooting your phone, including some that could basically brick the device, void your warrant, and make it easier for malware to breach it. Not only that, but some users on the XDA-Developers thread have been commenting that the process has been messing up features like the phone’s camera, and a number of errors have showed up. Safe to say, it’s probably best not to try this on your daily driver device.

Still, the fact is that there may be ways to get Google Assistant on a phone that isn’t the Google Pixel or Google Pixel XL is nice. Hopefully, the feature will open up to other phones officially as time goes on.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Christian de Looper

Contributor

Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…

Mobile

5 phones you should buy instead of the Google Pixel 8

A person holding the Google Pixel 8, showing the back of the phone.

The Google Pixel 8 is a well-received Android-based smartphone. However, there are reasons why you might not choose it and opt for something else. Perhaps its 6.2-inch display does not meet your requirements, or its camera system does not match your expectations. It could also be possible that you would prefer a phone released in 2024 instead of one launched late last year.

If you’re not interested in buying the Google Pixel 8, several alternative phones may be more suitable for your needs. For instance, the Samsung Galaxy S24 has the same-sized display as the Pixel 8 but with better internals. Alternatively, you could consider the OnePlus 12R, which offers a bigger display and better internals at a lower price. And that's just scratching the surface.

Mobile

Google just released the first Android 15 beta. Here’s what’s new

Google has just released the first public beta build of Android 15, marking an end to the developer-focused test phase. The beta version’s release also means that Android 15 is finally in a state where it can be tried by the masses without people having to worry about too many bugs leaving their phone in a sorry state.

The first beta version of Android 15 doesn’t introduce a ton of new features, as most of the notable additions have already appeared in the Developer Preview builds. Google’s blog post, however, mentions the following features as the key highlights

Mobile

Whatever you do, don’t buy the Google Pixel 7a right now

Google Pixel 7a in Snow in hand.

Google I/O 2024 is just a month away. We expect Android 15 to be shown off, and some hardware, too. In previous years, Google has used I/O to show off the latest for its Pixel A-series device. This year should give us the Google Pixel 8a, and we might even get a peek at what’s coming with the next-generation Pixel Fold 2.

The Google Pixel 7a launched last May, so it’s almost a year old now. At the time, while the 7a was mostly solid, the higher price made it a bit of an awkward recommendation, considering its specs and close positioning to the higher-end Pixel 7.