Just like Google said it would, Assistant is now invading Android Messages, the latest effort toward adding Assistant to basically every facet of Android.
Over the coming months, Google is going to roll out Assistant integration into Android Messages. That's good news for those using it for texting since that means they'll soon see an Assistant button pop up in the smart replies section of the app. In turn, the button acts as a shortcut and promptly asks Assistant a question. It then gives the user an option to put the answer directly into the conversation thread.
How Google Assistant Will Make Android Messages Better
For example, a friend texts another friend asking them if they want to go see a particular movie, mentioning the title within the text. Assistant automatically generates a button for the movie title, which the recipient can click to find more information about. It's not an Earth-shattering feature by any stretch of the imagination. However, does negate the need to open up a browser or even the Google app just to see details about the movie.
There are still a few unknowns here, which is possibly why Google can't yet commit to a wide rollout. Assistant buttons, when clicked, trigger an information card that gets inserted into the thread upon the sender's choosing— how it'll look on the other end is not certain. What's also unclear is whether the feature functions the same across SMS, MMS, and RCS.
Android Messages
Google has been on a roll in terms of implementing Assistant to other services as much as it can. It's also been adding new features to Android Messages steadily ever since it killed off Allo, due for an official death this March. Android Messages will be Google's primary texting app once Allo completely folds, and it's probably the best one there is.
Android Messages is not only a clean and polished messaging tool, but it's also feature-packed. It connects to a web-based client, which allows users to send and receive messages remotely on the web, and sorting through messages is easiest on this app than any other. There's also dark mode, easier access to multimedia, and Material Design, just to name a few.
Android Messages is a free download from the Google Play Store.
Thoughts about Android Messages? Do you think implementing Assistant into the app will make it better? As always, if you have anything to share, feel free to sound them off in the comments section below!
