Google Assistant is getting a new feature that lets you send a message throughout a smart home in one go.
Known as broadcasting, it saves you from having to shout call your family for dinner or let the kids know they're about to be late for school.
Google Intercom?
For it to work, you just have to tell Assistant on any supported smart speaker such as the Google Home and Google Home Mini or phone such as the Pixel and Pixel 2 to broadcast a message.
For instance, just say, "OK Google, broadcast it's time for school!" After that, it'll play on every other speaker that's linked to the same Google account. Basically, the formula here is to follow "OK Google, broadcast" with your message after.
Just to be clear, it doesn't seem that the Google helper can playback the message on phones. Based on Google's wording, it only says that it'll broadcast to "all Assistant enabled speakers" and "Google Homes." In other words, you can only send a message through your phone.
Other Broadcast Commands
One example that Google highlights is that you can tell your family ahead of time that you're coming home by saying, "OK Google, broadcast I'm on my way home!"
On an interesting note, there are also some special commands in store. When you tell Assistant, "OK Google, broadcast it's dinnertime," a bell will ring across the connected devices.
"From dinner bells to shouting, attempting to gather the family from around the house is nothing new. And now, your Google Assistant is getting in on the game," Google writes.
That's just the tip of the iceberg too, as the virtual assistant supports a ton of other "delightful sounds," which can be found on the broadcast support page.
The new broadcasting feature has already started rolling out to Assistant for the mobile and smart speakers. Initially, it's available only in English and to residents in the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
More Assistant Smarts
Recently, Google taught Assistant more than 50 new family-friendly games, stories, and activities. The virtual assistant can even go online and search for what you need on the internet, craft a to-do list, manage your smart home devices, and more.
With the latest broadcast feature, it just goes to show that it's getting smarter by the day, and each time it gets a new skill, it stands out more and more from the competition.
