Google’s aptly named AI helper, Google Assistant, is poised to have a great year in 2019. Not only will the digital assistant be spreading to numerous devices old and new, but there are a host of new features coming, too, several of which were shown off at CES 2019 last week.
This list of upcoming Google Assistant updates is long, and it can be overwhelming trying to parse out all the different announcements and keep track of when these new features will finally be available. To help, we’ve curated a rundown detailing the best and most important updates coming for Google Assistant in the next few months, including what devices these new features have been announced for, their expected release dates, and how to enable them (when available).
By far, the most hyped new Assistant feature at CES was the Interpreter Mode. Interpreter mode will expand Google Assistant’s already existent bilingual functionality by offering real-time translation from one language to another on the Google Home Hub smart display, acting as an interpreter between two parties who otherwise don’t speak the same language(s).
This might sound similar to Google’s previous attempt at real-time translation on the Pixel Bud wireless earbuds, but Interpreter Mode is a much more elegant execution on the concept.
Voice commands like, “Hey Google, help me translate” will activate Interpreter mode on the Google Home Hub. As long as the language is supported, Google Assistant will automatically recognize the language being spoken. Any speech it hears will then be translated through the Google Home Hub’s speakers and transcribed on the device’s screen. The feature will launch with 27 supported languages:
Hands-on reports of Interpreter Mode have been mostly positive, but it’s not perfect. The delay between the participants speaking and the device translating is just long enough at this point that it makes the interactions slow and slightly awkward. And depending on ambient noise level and clarity of speech, sometimes Google Assistant will mishear a word or two. Thankfully, Google has some time to fine-tune things before the full roll out.
Interpreter Mode is being beta tested at select hotels in Las Vegas, New York, and San Francisco for now, but Google says the feature will be available to consumers on Google Home Hub within the first few months of 2019 and will roll out to other smart home display devices soon after.
Google Assistant will now be adding punctuation to sentences automatically—no settings to enable or special voice commands required.
The AI helper will recognize when to add proper punctuation—such as commas, periods, and question marks—based on context, the tone and cadence of your voice, and pauses/breaks, meaning you no longer have to say the word “period” when you want to add one while dictating a text message. However, because of this, it’s probably smart to train Google Assistant to recognize your voice, which we conveniently have a guide for.
Punctuation mode is currently available on all Google Assistant-supported devices—just be sure you’ve updated your device’s OS and the Google Assistant app (Android, iOS).
Google Assistant is now integrated directly into Google Maps—even on devices that would otherwise not have native Google Assistant support, such as iOS devices.
Google Assistant adds new functionality to Google Maps, such as letting users share their arrival times, reply to text messages via voice, control music and audio playback, perform searches with voice commands, and make phone calls all within the Google Maps app.
The Maps version of Assistant also has a unique interface that was developed with driving in mind, meaning it’s almost entirely hands-free and uses easy-to-see on-screen elements so you can keep your eyes on the road.
An update containing the Assistant-integrated version of Google Maps began rolling out in December last year and is now available on both Android and iOS devices (though iOS users will have to download the Google Maps app, if they haven’t already). If you haven’t updated your Google Maps app, you can do so via the app’s page in the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.