Google recently announced via a blog post that it’s releasing a new update for Google Assistant on android mobiles. The latest update will add variety to the information provided by the Assistant offering better visual responses and answers in the form of “rich text” for queries.
Since Google introduced the Assistant in 2016, the search giant has been providing constant updates to the digital assistant – adding features, functionalities and improving visual appearance.
What’s new?
The latest Google Assistant update includes response cards that present vital information that users are looking for in an easy-to-read format.
Look at the before and after Images for some queries:
As you can see, the new update provides a new interface for specific categories like events. Events now include saving buttons and thumbnails for each event. For categories like stock prices, the latest update provides a detailed stock price chart, along with other enhanced content.
Apart from the new visual interface for specific categories, the update also provides several handy tools like the metronome music pacer, tip calculator and bubble level as part of the Assistant’s interface.
Additionally, for some queries, the response at the top includes links to a variety of related sources across the web, helping you learn more about the topic. Earlier, the Assistant only displayed the top result. Now, you can see the full set of search results as you would see on a desktop. Additionally, the Assistant may also include relevant ads that you would see on the Google Search app.
This latest update is available on all Android phones, thereby helping users get enhanced search results.
Why this update matters?
This latest update with its variety of content is part of the search giant’s initiative to add functionality to the Assistant and to harmonise results offered by the Assistant and general Google mobile search results.
According to stats revealed by MarketingLand, Google Assistant is now available on more than a billion devices worldwide. And, with an increasing number of users using Google Assistant to help them with their daily tasks, these latest functionalities are sure to appeal to users.
Digital marketing experts predict that as significant percentage of search queries migrate from Google search to the Assistant, Google will work on monetising this space and brands will vie for space in this premium real-estate on users’ smartphones.
Recently Google started test runs of local ads in Google Assistant results. As of now, the results shown by Google Assistant are ad-free. However, with more search queries migrating to the Assistant, Google will start working on monetising the results shown by the Assistant. And, adding functionalities is the first step.
Is this update available for all?
Yes, you can expect to see rich text in your Google Assistant. Try out this feature by searching for queries like, “Why is the grass green?” “Events in Orange County” using the Google Assistant on your Android smartphone.
[Images via Google Blog]
