Skip to main content

Android users can now say ‘Ok Google’ to send messages via WhatsApp, WeChat, NextPlus, Telegram, and Viber

Image
By
Google
Above: Google
Image Credit: Shutterstock
In April, Google launched custom voice actions on Android, allowing users to control select third-party apps simply by starting with the “Ok Google” command. Today, that functionality has expanded to messaging apps, including WhatsApp, WeChat, NextPlus, Telegram, and Viber.
If you already use “Ok Google” and your voice to send emails, Hangouts, or text messages, this should be a natural progression. You can split the task into two, or just do it all in one go.
If you say, “Ok Google, send a WhatsApp message to Joe,” you’ll get a prompt asking you to dictate your message. Alternatively, you can just say: “Ok Google, send a Viber message to Josh: let’s do dinner tomorrow night.”
Here is an example using WhatsApp:
whatsapp2
To be able to take advantage of this new feature, you do need to update boththe Google app for Android, as well as your individual messaging apps. If either is outdated, you’ll just get an error or a bunch of search results.
This functionality is only available in English, but the good news is it’s not limited to the U.S. as is often the case with new Google features. Furthermore, the company says it will be working to add more apps and languages “in the future.”
In January, Google updated its main Android app with a big enhancement to Google Now: Serving cards from third-party apps right when they have timely information to provide. The new functionality was supported by an initial 40 apps, and in April, Google added 70 more partners to the mix.
Today’s integration is thus part of a broader push from Google on mobile that isn’t limited to just voice commands. The company is opening up its Google app to third-party services so they can provide users with more features while also offering an experience they can’t get anywhere else.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is your preferred smartphone screen size

By
Screen envy. We all have it. Or do we? See, that’s the thing, I’m just not so sure. One thing I am sure about is that our phone screens have gotten progressively bigger and bigger over the last few years. The funny thing is, we as a society have taken that ball and run with it, like we just don’t care. But I always thought we did care? Some time ago, when phones were in the sub-5” range, we used to have a term called “phablet” which described an almost absurdly big phone. The definition varied from person to person. I always considered a phone with a screen 5.5” or bigger to be a phablet. The Galaxy Note fell into that category. The Lumia 1520 certainly did. There are others as well. I was safely ensconced in the 4.5” area at the time with my Lumia 920. What did I know? Leon’s getting laaaaaaaarrrger But slowly, phones started topping the 5” mark. I’m not talking about phablets here, I’m talking about normal flagship phones – the Galaxy S4 (barely) and the HTC One (M7) are ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Airbnb will open its Cuba listings to users outside the United States

By
Airbnb  will now let travelers from outside the U.S. to book properties in Cuba after receiving authorization from the U.S. government,  reports the Associated Press . Previously, only Americans were allowed to reserve the site’s  Cuban listings . They will open to international users on April 2. Airbnb launched its  Cuban operations in April 2014 , four months after the Obama administration revealed that it will begin to  restore diplomatic relations with the Communist country . The historic policy change means that  travel and trade sanctions will be lifted , which is expected to boost tourism to Cuba dramatically because Americans no longer need licenses to visit. In fact, President Obama is  currently on an official visit to Cuba , the first president since Calvin Coolidge to do so. According to the AP, Cuba is currently Airbnb’s fastest-growing market, with about 4,000 homes added since it opened listings. Other travel businesses...
Post a Comment
Read more

Peel Turns Your Apple Watch Into A Universal Remote Control

By
Does it make sense to use your Apple Watch as a remote control for your media devices? Smart remote maker  Peel  thinks so, having just launched a universal remote control application for the Apple Watch which lets you operate over 400,000 models of home electronics, including not only televisions, but also DVD players, and even audio and streaming devices, like the Roku. The Apple Watch app is actually an extension of the company’s  existing smart remote app for iPhone . And while in a few cases the new Watch app will allow you to control your devices via Wi-Fi, for the most part, it will require the  Pronto  hardware just like the iPhone version does. The Pronto 360-degree IR blaster is what turns the iPhone, and now the Apple Watch, into a smart universal remote control. A $49.99 piece of hardware about the size of a salt shaker, Pronto sits in your entertainment center to provide the IR capabilities required to operate your TV and other electroni...
Post a Comment
Read more

Facebook Now Supports PGP To Send You Encrypted Emails

By
You can now instruct Facebook to encrypt every email it sends to you so nobody — not even the NSA — is likely to be able to read your messages anytime soon. All you have to do is import your public PGP key into your Facebook settings and you’re good to go. The problem here, of course, is that most people have no idea how public/private key email encryption works and how to even get started with it. In the wake of Edward Snowden’s leaks, a number of organizations, including Google, promised to completely hide the complexities of end-to-end email encryption from regular users. Very few of these products have materialized so far, however — not for lack of trying, but because this is actually a very complex problem, both from a technical and user experience perspective. Facebook uses the well-established PGP scheme (the GNU Privacy Guard implementation of  OpenPGP, to be precise) to encrypt messages and tools lik...
Post a Comment
Read more

Best Web Design Company in Pondicherry

By
#Technology    has two faces. We all feel it, but sometimes can’t find words to describe it.  #Ebooks    are the best example to show the 0-1 nature of emotions the  #technology  evokes. #itwhere    provide a  #Best     #solutions    to  #Growyourbusiness    feel free to drop a  #Mail    info@itwheretech.co.in www.itwheretech.co.in 
5 comments
Read more