Can't quite get your Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL to work properly but don't want to talk to a Google customer service rep? You can turn to AI, or to be exact, Assistant.
However, if the virtual helper can't resolve your issue, it'll put you in touch with a real person, so there's that.
Google Assistant Is Your Pixel 2 Helper
Thanks to a tipster, Android Police found out that Assistant can troubleshoot some problems on the Pixel 2 XL running on the developer preview of Android 8.1 Oreo.
Here's how things went down: The fine folks over at the news outlet asked Assistant, "Why is my phone not charging to 100 percent?" The AI then asked permission to run a battery checkup, and after it got the go-ahead, it provided updates and some questions to pinpoint the issue.
In the end, when it couldn't determine what's wrong, it said that it can set up a phone call or a chat conversation with a Google support rep, asking which option the user prefers. Android Police picked the former, and from there, it was only a matter of setting up the contact details.
That's just one example too. Based on the evidence so far, Assistant can also check your camera and Bluetooth by telling it "troubleshoot camera" and "troubleshoot Bluetooth" respectively.
Exclusive Pixel 2 Feature?
As mentioned earlier, it worked on a Pixel 2 XL with the developer preview of Android 8.1 Oreo. Presumably, it'll work on the Pixel 2 running the same Android version as well.
The thing is, Android Police couldn't get Assistant to carry out diagnostic checks on a UK version of the Pixel 2 XL running Android 8.0 Oreo. In short, it's more or less a beta feature, but it's unclear if it'll be limited to U.S. users.
However, it could be exclusive to the Pixel 2 lineup since the Pixel Phone Help support page does mention this bit: "Optional: Ask your Google Assistant (Pixel 2 only)."
Now the takeaway here is that you can rely on Assistant to troubleshoot your Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL, but what's really impressive here is that the virtual helper keeps getting noticeably smarter by the day.
On the other hand, Pixel 2 XL issues have been growing as the days go by as well, including but not limited to unresponsive edges and poor audio recording quality. Perhaps the virtual assistant can help with those in the near future.
