Skip to main content

Multilingual Google Assistant to add more than 20 languages to its repertoire

mobile trends google assistant ai
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ahead of MWC 2018, Google has laid out its forward plans for Google Assistant on iOS and Android smartphones, announcing that it aims to bring the ever-present assistant to more than 30 languages by the end of year, as well as rolling out updates that make Google Assistant instantly multilingual and capable of responding in different languages.

At the moment, Google Assistant is available in eight languages, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Portuguese (Brazil), and Google’s plans would see that total expand to over 30, with Google claiming that the coverage would increase to 95 percent of Android users. Since that’s a pool of 2 billion users, that’s a heady boast. Users can expect to see updates that add Danish, Dutch, Hindi, Indonesian, Norwegian, Swedish, and Thai in the coming months — on both Android and iPhone devices — while the rest of the planned updates will come throughout the rest of the year.

Other plans include the ability to make Google Assistant multilingual, so if you speak more than one language or live in a multilanguage household, then Google Assistant will soon be able to detect the language you’re speaking and respond quickly and fluidly. According to Google, it will be even able switch between languages for a single user, perfect for people who use different languages throughout the day, and also useful for anyone learning another language.

But it’s not all about software updates. With the mobile world gathering in Barcelona next week for Mobile World Congress, Google also took a moment to reflect on the progress of making hardware more compatible with the Google Assistant package. While Google’s own Pixel range obviously supports the Assistant, support for phones from other manufacturers requires a close working relationship with Google. Google has been working closely with some manufacturers for the last year, in an initiative it calls the “Assistant Mobile OEM program,” which should help manufacturers to introduce helpful features like activating “OK Google” while the screen is off, and introducing device-specific keywords. While there has been no timetable given for those plans, we should expect innovations from LG, Sony Mobile, and Xiaomi to be coming soon.

Also tied into those improvements is a closer relationship with network carriers like Sprint, Koodo, Telus, and Vodafone. Google wants to let users find out more about their current plans from their Assistants, hinting that users may soon be able to add services to their plans, get support, and more.

Editors' Recommendations

Mark Jansen
Mark Jansen is an avid follower of everything that beeps, bloops, or makes pretty lights. He has a degree in Ancient &…
Google is killing off its lightweight YouTube Go app
Three phone screens showing the new Android 12 Go Edition.

Google is killing off its lightweight YouTube Go app, an app designed for phones with low storage and limited access to robust LTE and 5G networks. The company cites improvements to the mainstream YouTube app that rendered this service redundant. The app will remain available for download in the Play Store until August. The app boiled down YouTube to its essentials and stripped away things that weren't necessary like commenting, posting, or creating videos.

"When we launched YouTube Go in 2016, it was designed for viewers in locations where connectivity, data prices, and low-end devices prevented us from delivering the best experience in the main YouTube app. Since then, YouTube has invested in improvements to the main YouTube app that make it perform better in these environments, while also delivering a better user experience which is inclusive of our entire community," the YouTube team said.

Read more
Google adds more iMessage features to Android’s Messages app
Google Pixel 6 Pro wallpaper.

Google is upgrading Android's default messages app with support for iMessage reactions and enhanced media sharing as it tries to lure over customers from Apple's iPhones over to Pixels and other Android phones. The new updates are rolling out this week to the U.S. and some worldwide countries.

The biggest change Google is bringing here is support for iMessage reactions, or tapbacks. While Google supports reactions between Android phones, and iPhones support reactions between iPhones, this is the first time both are being cross-compatible -- kind of. iPhone users will now have their tapbacks converted to emoji on Android phones, but Android users will still remain unable to send reactions to iPhones. This does mean an end to "Laughed at," style messages, for Android users at least.

Read more
The Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro barely charge any faster than the Pixel 5
App screen on the Google Pixel 6 Pro.

With the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, Google appeared to have outdone the battery longevity of the already long-lasting Pixel 5 by offering bigger batteries and faster charging speeds to compensate. But an analysis done this weekend by android-focused tech blog Android Authority has found Google's Pixel charging speeds to be much more in line with older Pixels than the company would have you believe.

A test carried out by the tech publication showed that the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro could only reach 22 watts at peak changing speeds -- just a little bit over the 18W you'll find on older Pixels. This means that the Pixel 6's charging time is also slower than the older Pixel 5 due to a combination of its bigger battery and its similar charging speeds. It takes the Pixel 6 just under two hours to reach a full charge, whereas the Pixel 5 would charge in a little over an hour and a half. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra with a 25W charger outpaces both. You can read the reasoning in the Android Authority piece, but the short version is Google's Pixel 6 drops wired charging speeds after 50%, whereas Samsung keeps a fast charging pace up to around 85%.

Read more