The voice of Insecure’s Issa Rae is coming to Google Assistant

By Alina Bradford Published October 9, 2019

Changing the voice of your robot-like, monotone Google Assistant to your favorite celebrity is now something you can make happen. So far, you have only been able to make John Legend your own personal assistant. As of Thursday, October 10, though, you can also make actress and director Issa Rae your new Google Assistant voice. Rae recently co-starred in the movie Little with Regina Hall and Marsai Martin, though she may be best known for her role in the HBO series Insecure or her work on the YouTube web series Awkward Black Girl.

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“If you’ve ever wanted to hear the hilarious actress, writer and producer answer your questions, brief you on the weather, tell jokes — and even share motivational messages, you’re in luck,” Google said in a press release.

Don’t get too excited, yet, though. Your default Google Assistant voice will stay the same without a little help. One way you’ll be able to hear the new celebrity voice is by saying, “Hey, Google, talk like Issa.” You can also change the voice using the Google Home app. To make the switch, open the app, tap on the profile icon, then tap on settings. From there, tap Assistant and then Assistant voice. Find the Issa Rae option, chose it from the list and you’re all set.

The new Rae voice can be used on any device that has the Google Assistant, including Android and iOS phones, smart speakers like Google Home Mini and smart displays like Google Nest Hub Max. Unfortunately, if you live outside of the United States, you’re out of luck. This new voice is only available in English in the U.S. There’s no word as of yet if Google is planning to expand the feature to other countries or languages.

Google says to watch out for some fun Easter eggs while using Rae for your assistant. They also recommend checking out the Google Instagram channel for a few exclusive sneak peeks into Rae’s life on set.

Want to find out if that new gadget is compatible with Google Assistant-enabled devices? Check out our guide for the best Google Home-compatible devices for 2019.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Alina Bradford has been a tech, lifestyle and science writer for more than 20 years. Her work is read by millions each month…

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