Who hasn’t already heard of Google Assistant? It’s the voice-activated virtual assistant that comes on all the devices pre-installed. If you’ve got a “not a brick” smartphone, and a decent internet connection, then there are a lot of cool tricks you can do with your Google Assistant.
Some of the tricks are practical and help you simplify day-to-day tasks, others are just for fun, and some are to help you learn new things. We spent 3 days testing Google Assistant to its limits and came up with a list of cool tricks everyone should try at least once.
Cool Things to Do With Google Assistant
Google Assistant is amazing. It can do practically anything you ask it to. So, it makes sense for you to incorporate it into your daily life and have some fun with it.
Do keep in mind that these Google Assistant cool tricks aren’t limited only to your smartphone. If you have a Google home device, then you can use it to do these things.
1. Find Your Phone
If you’re someone who loses track of their phone way too often, this command is just perfect for you. If you’re the only one who has signed up with your Google Home device, then you can tell it to call your phone.
The best part is that even if you’ve put your phone on mute, or if it’s in Do Not Disturb mode, you can still use this command.
2. Command Apps with Voice
You can use voice commands to open or navigate through apps. If you want to check specific notifications, just say “Ok, Google, open X app,” and you’ll see it open up within seconds.
Not just Google applications, you can control and use every app on your device with Google Assistant voice controls.
3. Screen Your Phone Calls for Scams
If you’re tired of scam calls, or telemarketers calling you at odd hours, then this is one of the best Google Assistant tricks.
If you’re using a Pixel 3 or later phone, you can let Google’s virtual assistant answer the annoying calls. Google Assistant will answer your phone using the Call Screen feature available on all new Pixels.
You’ll be able to read the transcripts of a conversation on your screen, so you’ll know whether the call is important or not. Google has promised that this feature will be available on older Pixel models as well through a software update.
4. Listen to Web Pages Instead of Reading
Whenever you open a new web page on your phone, you can say “Hey Google, read it,” or “Hey Google, read this page.” Google Assistant will then read all the content on the web page out loud.
Moreover, you can control the reading speed, and also keep track of the highlighted text. If a page is in English, and you want to hear it in some other language, you can ask your Assistant to do that as well.
5. Find Images
Want to look up an image but don’t want to type in the keyword? Ask Google Assistant to do it. You could just say “Hey Google, show me pictures of a dog sitting at a beach,” and the assistant will pull up the image in no time.
You can try this Google Assistant trick for more complex images too. If you want a particular image of a particular study, you can ask Google. If the image is optimized well, it may show up. This one is a hit or miss, but hey it’s worth a shot.
6. Find New Spots
If like most of us, you too struggle with what to do this weekend, it’s time to leave it up to Google Assistant. Google is home to thousands of cool little spots near you that you haven’t yet visited, so why not take advantage of your Google local guide program?
If you’re craving to try out something new for dinner, just say “Hey Google, show me local restaurants,” and Google will bring up a list of local names. From the list of names, touch on a restaurant’s name, see its star rating, find the directions to the place, see the online menu, or get their contact information.
In the last couple of days, I’ve asked Google to “tell me where to eat tonight” and it has come up with some great recommendations.
Not just food, you can use it to find cool hangout spots and other places near you with Google Assistant.
7. Find Vacation Spots
Planning a vacation and have no clue where you should go? Ask Google Assistant. Just ask Google Assistant, “what are some great vacation ideas?”
If you already have a location in mind but no itinerary, then you can use Google Assistant as well. Ask “Where should I go in France?” or something similar.
Based on your plans, and the location you’re planning to visit, you can narrow down the search significantly, and find some cool recommendations.
8. Play Netflix
Take advantage of Google Assistant to stream your favorite shows and movies on Netflix. Just choose the show you want to watch and give the command. Tell Google Assistant “Play Wednesday on Netflix.”
Whatever you want to watch on your device, you can do it with the help of Google Assistant. This is especially handy when you can’t touch your device and want to play something.
9. Use Google Assistant as a Personal Reminder
If you have trouble remembering small details, or if you forget where specific things are, then you take advantage of Google Assistant. Google Assistant has one cool and really helpful functionality, you can ask it to remind you about things.
Just say, “Hey Google, remind me to buy groceries on Tuesday,” or you can say “Hey Google, remind me that my car keys are in my blue jacket.” You can make any kind of personalized reminders to help you remember things.
This is the best Google Assistant trick for me.
10. Transcend Language Limitations
Google changed the game with Google translate. It was one of the best ways for travelers to ensure they were following the rules and more.
Google Assistant takes this functionality a step forward. You can ask Google Assistant “How do you ask for directions in Spanish,” or something else. The translated sentence/word will be spoken aloud by Google Assistant.
If you’re traveling to a place that speaks a different language, you can make the journey a bit easier by using Google Assistant.
Simplified Life with Google Assistant
Google Assistant is made to provide a level of comfort, and convenience for users. When you have the tech in your hands, why not take complete advantage of it? Google Assistant can help you make your life more convenient. You can keep track of your schedule, reminders, and to-do lists.
If you have an array of smart devices in your home, Google Assistant can even help you control these devices.
