Google said it is expecting its AI-powered Google Assistant to be on 1 billion devices by the end of this month. The tech company made the announcement on Monday as it ramps up to dominate this year's Consumer Electronics Show.
1 Billion Devices By The End Of January
The 1 billion figure is significantly up from the 500 million devices Google Assistant was on in May 2018. It is also 900 million more than the number of devices with Amazon's Alexa on board.
Google said that monthly and daily active users have quadrupled over the last year although it did not provide the number of people who use Google Assistant regularly. The Assistant is also shipped on millions of Google Home speakers quarterly.
The billion number may be impressive but it is worth noting that majority of that number is mobile phones. Google Assistant is available on devices that run Android 5.0 Lollipop and higher. Android 5.0 Lollipop makes up 18 percent of Android device usage.
"This is really showing that the Assistant is available across the devices that really matter to you," Google's head of product and design for Search and Assistant Nick Fox said. "And beyond that, the Assistant is being quite heavily used across these devices as well."
Google's vice president of Google Assistant Manuel Bronstein acknowledged the company has a very large footprint on Android devices. He also said the next billion devices will come in emerging markets, particularly on feature phones.
"The voice-first interaction is becoming increasingly important in those markets, and we're beginning to see traction there," Bronstein said.
Google has added support for 22 new languages and 66 countries, which makes the Assistant available in total of 30 languages and 80 countries.
Google Assistant At CES 2019
Google's announcement coincides with the start of the CES 2019, where the Assistant and Amazon's Alexa are featured in new TVs, speakers, smart home devices, and other gadgets.
Google's massive booth at the CES this year features a Disneyland-style ride, that gives attendees a glimpse at the different ways the Assistant can be used in everyday life.
