This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-39096355
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| MWC 2017: Google brings Assistant to more Android phones | MWC 2017: Google brings Assistant to more Android phones |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Google's voice-activated digital assistant will soon be available on smartphones running the latest versions of the Android operating system. | Google's voice-activated digital assistant will soon be available on smartphones running the latest versions of the Android operating system. |
| Until now, Google Assistant had only been available on the firm's own Pixel phones. | Until now, Google Assistant had only been available on the firm's own Pixel phones. |
| The service, like Siri on iPhones, allows users to interact with apps and ask questions. | The service, like Siri on iPhones, allows users to interact with apps and ask questions. |
| LG was one of the first smartphone makers to reveal it would feature the assistant on its new device, the G6. | LG was one of the first smartphone makers to reveal it would feature the assistant on its new device, the G6. |
| Chinese tech giant Huawei announced it would include Amazon's rival Alexa assistant on its phones, at the CES tech show in Las Vegas last month. | Chinese tech giant Huawei announced it would include Amazon's rival Alexa assistant on its phones, at the CES tech show in Las Vegas last month. |
| Google's update will starting rolling out this week to users with Android 6.0 Marshmallow or 7.0 Nougat installed. | Google's update will starting rolling out this week to users with Android 6.0 Marshmallow or 7.0 Nougat installed. |
| "With this update, hundreds of millions of Android users will now be able to try out the Google Assistant," said Gummi Hafsteinsson, product lead for Google Assistant, in a blog post. | "With this update, hundreds of millions of Android users will now be able to try out the Google Assistant," said Gummi Hafsteinsson, product lead for Google Assistant, in a blog post. |
| 'Natural step' | |
| Google Assistant differs from its competitors slightly in that it is designed to prompt conversations with users and respond to follow-up queries. | |
| "It is a natural step for Google to offer Google Assistant to as many smartphones as possible because AI is at the heart of Google's strategy, said tech analyst Ian Fogg at IHS Technology. | "It is a natural step for Google to offer Google Assistant to as many smartphones as possible because AI is at the heart of Google's strategy, said tech analyst Ian Fogg at IHS Technology. |
| "With the machine learning that underpins Google Assistant AI, the more people that use Assistant, the smarter it will become." | "With the machine learning that underpins Google Assistant AI, the more people that use Assistant, the smarter it will become." |
| Initially, Assistant will be available to English-speaking users in the United States. | Initially, Assistant will be available to English-speaking users in the United States. |
| English-speaking users in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom will receive the update next. | English-speaking users in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom will receive the update next. |
| Support for other languages will follow, Google said. | Support for other languages will follow, Google said. |