Tag Archives: Google Assistant

Say goodbye to hold music

Sometimes, a phone call is the best way to get something done. We call retailers to locate missing packages, utilities to adjust our internet speeds, airlines to change our travel itineraries...the list goes on. But more often than not, we need to wait on hold during these calls—listening closely to hold music and repetitive messages—before we reach a customer support representative who can help. In fact, people in the United States spent over 10 million hours on hold with businesses last week.


Save time with Hold for Me

Hold for Me, our latest Phone app feature, helps you get that time back, starting with an early preview on Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a (5G) in the U.S. Now, when you call a toll-free number and a business puts you on hold, Google Assistant can wait on the line for you. You can go back to your day, and Google Assistant will notify you with sound, vibration and a prompt on your screen once someone is on the line and ready to talk. That means you’ll spend more time doing what’s important to you, and less time listening to hold music.
Hold for me call

Tap “Hold for me” in Google’s Phone app after you’re placed on hold by a business.

Hold for Me is our latest effort to make phone calls better and save you time. Last year, we introduced an update to Call Screen that helps you avoid interruptions from spam calls once and for all, and last month, we launched Verified Calls to help you know why a business is calling before you answer. Hold for Me is now another way we’re making it simpler to say hello.


Powered by Google AI

Every business’s hold loop is different and simple algorithms can't accurately detect when a customer support representative comes onto the call. Hold for Me is powered by Google’s Duplex technology, which not only recognizes hold music but also understands the difference between a recorded message (like “Hello, thank you for waiting”) and a representative on the line. Once a representative is identified, Google Assistant will notify you that someone’s ready to talk and ask the representative to hold for a moment while you return to the call. We gathered feedback from a number of companies, including Dell and United, as well as from studies with customer support representatives, to help us design these interactions and make the feature as helpful as possible to the people on both sides of the call.

While Google Assistant waits on hold for you, Google’s natural language understanding also keeps you informed. Your call will be muted to let you focus on something else, but at any time, you can check real-time captions on your screen to know what’s happening on the call.


Keeping your data safe

Hold for Me is an optional feature you can enable in settings and choose to activate during each call to a toll-free number. To determine when a representative is on the line, audio is processed entirely on your device and does not require a Wi-Fi or data connection. This makes the experience fast and also protects your privacy—no audio from the call will be shared with Google or saved to your Google account unless you explicitly decide to share it and help improve the feature. When you return to the call after Google Assistant was on hold for you, audio stops being processed altogether.

We’re excited to bring an early preview of Hold for Me to our latest Pixel devices and continue making the experience better over time. Your feedback will help us bring the feature to more people over the coming months, so they too can say goodbye to hold music and say hello to more free time.

Source: Android


Made for music, the new Nest Audio is here

This year, we’ve all spent a lot of time exploring things to do at home. Some of us gardened, and others baked. We tried at-home workouts, or redecorated the house, took up art projects. But one thing that many—maybe all of us—did? Enjoy a lot of music at home. Personally, I have spent so much more time listening to music during quarantine—bossa nova is my go to soundtrack for doing the dishes and Lil Baby has become one of my favourite artists. 
So, in a time when we’re all listening to more music than ever, we’re especially excited to introduce Nest Audio, our latest smart speaker that is made for music lovers. 

A music machine 
Nest Audio is 75 percent louder and has 50 percent stronger bass than the original Google Home—measurements of both devices were taken in an anechoic chamber at maximum volume, on-axis. With a 19mm tweeter for consistent high frequency coverage and clear vocals and a 75mm mid-woofer that really brings the bass, this smart speaker is a music lover’s dream. 
Nest Audio’s sound is full, clear and natural. We completed more than 500 hours of tuning to ensure balanced lows, mids and highs so that nothing is lacking or overbearing. The bass is significant and the vocals have depth, which makes Nest Audio sound great across genres: classical, R&B, pop and more. The custom-designed tweeter allows each musical detail to come through, and we optimised the grill, fabric and materials so that you can enjoy the audio without distortion. 
Our goal was to ensure that Nest Audio stayed faithful to what the artist intended when they were in the recording studio. We minimised the use of compressors to preserve dynamic range, so that the auditory contrast in the original production is preserved—the quiet parts are delicate and subtle, and the loud parts are more dramatic and powerful. 
Nest Audio also adapts to your home. Our Media EQ feature enables Nest Audio to automatically tune itself to whatever you’re listening to: music, podcasts, audiobooks or hearing a response from Google Assistant. And Ambient IQ lets Nest Audio also adjust the volume of Assistant, news, podcasts, and audiobooks based on the background noise in the home, so you can hear the weather forecast over a noisy dishwasher. 

Whole home audio 
If you have a Google Home, Nest Mini or even a Nest Hub, you can easily make Nest Audio the centre of your whole home sound system. In my living room, I’ve connected two Nest Audio speakers as a stereo pair for left and right channel separation. I also have a Nest Hub Max in my kitchen, a Nest Mini in my bedroom and a Nest Hub in the entryway. These devices are grouped so that I can blast the same song on all of them when I have my daily dance party. 
With our stream transfer feature, I can move music from one device to the other with just my voice. Just last month, we launched multi-room control, which allows you to dynamically group multiple cast-enabled Nest devices in real-time. 

An even faster Assistant 
When we launched Nest Mini last year, we embedded a dedicated machine learning chip with up to one TeraOPS of processing power, which let us move some Google Assistant experiences from our data centres directly onto the device. We’ve leveraged the same ML chip in Nest Audio too.
Google Assistant helps you tackle your day, enjoy your entertainment and control compatible smart home brands like Philips Hue, TP-Link and more. In fact, our users have already set up more than 100 million devices to work with Google Assistant. Plus, if you’re a YouTube Music or Spotify Premium subscriber, you can say, “Hey Google, recommend some music” and Google Assistant will offer a variety of choices from artists and genres that you like, and others like them to choose from.

Differentiated by design 
Typically, a bigger speaker equals bigger sound, but Nest Audio has a really slim profile—so it fits anywhere in the home. In order to maximise audio output, we custom-designed quality drivers and housed them in an enclosure that helps it squeeze out every bit of sound possible. 
Nest Audio is available in two colours in Australia: Chalk and Charcoal. Its soft, rounded edges blend in with your home’s decor, and its minimal footprint doesn't take up too much space on your shelf or countertop. 
We’re continuing our commitment to sustainability with Nest Audio. It’s covered in the same sustainable fabric that we first introduced with Nest Mini last year, and the enclosure (meaning the fabric, housing, foot, and a few smaller parts) is made from 70 percent recycled plastic. 

Starting today Nest Audio is available for pre-order in Australia for $149 at the Google Store and other retailers, including JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, and The Good Guys. It will be on-sale from October 15 through these same retailers, as well as Officeworks and Vodafone. 

Posted by Mark Spates, Product Manager, Google Nest

Made for music, the new Nest Audio is here

This year, we’ve all spent a lot of time exploring things to do at home. Some of us gardened, and others baked. We tried at-home workouts, or took up art projects. But one thing that many—maybe all of us—did? Enjoyed a lot of music at home. I’ve spent so much more time listening to music during quarantine—bossa nova is my go-to soundtrack for doing the dishes and Lil Baby has become one of my favorite artists. 

We worked with Kelton Research and found that over the past five months, Americans increased the amount of time they spend listening to music at home by 61 percent, and many people nearly doubled the amount of time they spend jamming out at home. So, given we’re all listening to more music than ever, we’re especially excited to introduce Nest Audio, our latest smart speaker made for music lovers.


A music machine

Nest Audio is 75 percent louder and has 50 percent stronger bass than the original Google Home—measurements of both devices were taken in an anechoic chamber at maximum volume, on-axis. With a 19mm tweeter for consistent high frequency coverage and clear vocals and a 75mm mid-woofer that really brings the bass, this smart speaker is a music lover’s dream. 

Nest Audio’s sound is full, clear and natural. We completed more than 500 hours of tuning to ensure balanced lows, mids and highs so  nothing is lacking or overbearing. The bass is significant and the vocals have depth, which makes Nest Audio sound great across genres: classical, R&B, pop and more. The custom-designed tweeter allows each musical detail to come through, and we optimized the grill, fabric and materials so that you can enjoy the audio without distortion. 

Our goal was to ensure that Nest Audio stayed faithful to what the artist intended when they were in the recording studio. We minimized the use of compressors to preserve dynamic range, so the auditory contrast in the original production is preserved—the quiet parts are delicate and subtle, and the loud ones are more dramatic and powerful. 

Nest Audio also adapts to your home. Our Media EQ feature enables Nest Audio to automatically tune itself to whatever you’re listening to: music, podcasts, audiobooks or even a response from Google Assistant. And Ambient IQ lets Nest Audio also adjust the volume of Assistant, news, podcasts and audiobooks based on the background noise in your home, so you can hear the weather forecast over a noisy dishwasher. 

Video shows Nest Audio being used in the home; in living rooms, a kitchen, a bedroom, and a library. Video also shows it on a shelf among plans, and later in a bathroom. Video also shows it being used as a speaker system, and later in a car - and then, back in the home as a man walks in the door and the podcast he was listening to in his car continues playing on his Nest inside the home.

Whole home audio

If you have a Google Home, Nest Mini or even a Nest Hub, you can easily make Nest Audio the center of your whole home sound system. In my living room, I’ve connected two Nest Audio speakers as a stereo pair for left and right channel separation. I also have a Nest Hub Max in my kitchen, a Nest Mini in my bedroom and a Nest Hub in the entryway. These devices are grouped so that I can blast the same song on all of them when I have my daily dance party. 

With our stream transfer feature, I can move music from one device to the other with just my voice. I can even transfer music or podcasts from my phone when I walk in the door. Just last month, we launched multi-room control, which allows you to dynamically group multiple cast-enabled Nest devices in real time. 


An even faster Assistant

When we launched Nest Mini last year, we embedded a dedicated machine learning chip with up to one TeraOPS of processing power, which let us move some Google Assistant experiences from our data centers directly onto the device. We’ve leveraged the same ML chip in Nest Audio, and in the U.S., Google Assistant on Nest Audio learns your most common music commands and responds two times faster than the original Google Home. 

Google Assistant helps you tackle your day, enjoy your entertainment and control compatible smart home brands like Philips Hue, TP-Link|KASA and more. In fact, people have already set up more than 100 million devices to work with Google Assistant. Plus, if you’re a YouTube Music or Spotify Premium subscriber, you can say, “Hey Google, recommend some music” and Google Assistant will offer a variety of choices from artists and genres that you like as well as others that are similar.


Differentiated by design

Typically, a bigger speaker equals bigger sound, but Nest Audio has a really slim profile—so it  fits anywhere in the home. In order to maximize audio output, we custom-designed quality drivers and housed them in an enclosure that helps it squeeze out every bit of sound possible. 

Nest Audio comes in five colors: Chalk, Charcoal, Sand, Sky and the all-new Sage, an earth tone inspired by our ongoing responsibility to protect the environment. Its soft, rounded edges blend in with your home’s decor, and its minimal footprint doesn't take up too much space on your shelf or countertop. 

We’re continuing our commitment to sustainability with Nest Audio. It’s covered in the same sustainable fabric that we first introduced with Nest Mini last year, and the enclosure (meaning the fabric, housing, foot, and a few smaller parts) is made from 70 percent recycled plastic. 

Nest Audio is available for $99.99 online at the Google Store and other retailers in the U.S., Canada and India starting Oct. 5. You can find it on shelves at retail stores including Target, Best Buy and more in 21 countries starting Oct. 15. 

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Made for music, the new Nest Audio is here

This year, we’ve all spent a lot of time exploring things to do at home. Some of us gardened, and others baked. We tried at-home workouts, or took up art projects. But one thing that many—maybe all of us—did? Enjoyed a lot of music at home. I’ve spent so much more time listening to music during quarantine—bossa nova is my go-to soundtrack for doing the dishes and Lil Baby has become one of my favorite artists. 

We worked with Kelton Research and found that over the past five months, Americans increased the amount of time they spend listening to music at home by 61 percent, and many people nearly doubled the amount of time they spend jamming out at home. So, given we’re all listening to more music than ever, we’re especially excited to introduce Nest Audio, our latest smart speaker made for music lovers.


A music machine

Nest Audio is 75 percent louder and has 50 percent stronger bass than the original Google Home—measurements of both devices were taken in an anechoic chamber at maximum volume, on-axis. With a 19mm tweeter for consistent high frequency coverage and clear vocals and a 75mm mid-woofer that really brings the bass, this smart speaker is a music lover’s dream. 

Nest Audio’s sound is full, clear and natural. We completed more than 500 hours of tuning to ensure balanced lows, mids and highs so  nothing is lacking or overbearing. The bass is significant and the vocals have depth, which makes Nest Audio sound great across genres: classical, R&B, pop and more. The custom-designed tweeter allows each musical detail to come through, and we optimized the grill, fabric and materials so that you can enjoy the audio without distortion. 

Our goal was to ensure that Nest Audio stayed faithful to what the artist intended when they were in the recording studio. We minimized the use of compressors to preserve dynamic range, so the auditory contrast in the original production is preserved—the quiet parts are delicate and subtle, and the loud ones are more dramatic and powerful. 

Nest Audio also adapts to your home. Our Media EQ feature enables Nest Audio to automatically tune itself to whatever you’re listening to: music, podcasts, audiobooks or even a response from Google Assistant. And Ambient IQ lets Nest Audio also adjust the volume of Assistant, news, podcasts and audiobooks based on the background noise in your home, so you can hear the weather forecast over a noisy dishwasher. 

Video shows Nest Audio being used in the home; in living rooms, a kitchen, a bedroom, and a library. Video also shows it on a shelf among plans, and later in a bathroom. Video also shows it being used as a speaker system, and later in a car - and then, back in the home as a man walks in the door and the podcast he was listening to in his car continues playing on his Nest inside the home.

Whole home audio

If you have a Google Home, Nest Mini or even a Nest Hub, you can easily make Nest Audio the center of your whole home sound system. In my living room, I’ve connected two Nest Audio speakers as a stereo pair for left and right channel separation. I also have a Nest Hub Max in my kitchen, a Nest Mini in my bedroom and a Nest Hub in the entryway. These devices are grouped so that I can blast the same song on all of them when I have my daily dance party. 

With our stream transfer feature, I can move music from one device to the other with just my voice. I can even transfer music or podcasts from my phone when I walk in the door. Just last month, we launched multi-room control, which allows you to dynamically group multiple cast-enabled Nest devices in real time. 


An even faster Assistant

When we launched Nest Mini last year, we embedded a dedicated machine learning chip with up to one TeraOPS of processing power, which let us move some Google Assistant experiences from our data centers directly onto the device. We’ve leveraged the same ML chip in Nest Audio, and in the U.S., Google Assistant on Nest Audio learns your most common music commands and responds two times faster than the original Google Home. 

Google Assistant helps you tackle your day, enjoy your entertainment and control compatible smart home brands like Philips Hue, TP-Link|KASA and more. In fact, people have already set up more than 100 million devices to work with Google Assistant. Plus, if you’re a YouTube Music or Spotify Premium subscriber, you can say, “Hey Google, recommend some music” and Google Assistant will offer a variety of choices from artists and genres that you like as well as others that are similar.


Differentiated by design

Typically, a bigger speaker equals bigger sound, but Nest Audio has a really slim profile—so it  fits anywhere in the home. In order to maximize audio output, we custom-designed quality drivers and housed them in an enclosure that helps it squeeze out every bit of sound possible. 

Nest Audio comes in five colors: Chalk, Charcoal, Sand, Sky and the all-new Sage, an earth tone inspired by our ongoing responsibility to protect the environment. Its soft, rounded edges blend in with your home’s decor, and its minimal footprint doesn't take up too much space on your shelf or countertop. 

We’re continuing our commitment to sustainability with Nest Audio. It’s covered in the same sustainable fabric that we first introduced with Nest Mini last year, and the enclosure (meaning the fabric, housing, foot, and a few smaller parts) is made from 70 percent recycled plastic. 

Nest Audio is available for $99.99 online at the Google Store and other retailers in the U.S., Canada and India starting Oct. 5. You can find it on shelves at retail stores including Target, Best Buy and more in 21 countries starting Oct. 15. 

More from this Collection

Our newest lineup of helpful devices

Our newest products bring together the best of Google’s hardware, software and AI to deliver helpful experiences built around you.

View all 6 articles

Made for music, the new Nest Audio is here


This year, we’ve all spent a lot of time exploring things to do at home. Some of us gardened, and others baked. We tried at-home workouts, or took up art projects. But one thing that many—maybe all of us—did? Enjoyed a lot of music at home. I’ve spent so much more time listening to music during quarantine—bossa nova is my go-to soundtrack for doing the dishes and Lil Baby has become one of my favorite artists. But you might even prefer Mohammed Rafi or Ilayaraja.


To help provide a richer soundtrack to your time at home, we’re especially excited to introduce Nest Audio, our latest smart speaker made for music lovers.


A music machine

Nest Audio is 75 percent louder and has 50 percent stronger bass than the original Google Home—measurements of both devices were taken in controlled conditions. With a 19mm tweeter for consistent high frequency coverage and clear vocals and a 75mm mid-woofer that really brings the bass, this smart speaker is built to deliver a rich musical experience. 


Nest Audio’s sound is full, clear, and natural. We completed more than 500 hours of tuning to ensure balanced lows, mids and highs so  nothing is lacking or overbearing. The bass is significant and the vocals have depth, which makes Nest Audio sound great across genres: classical, R&B, pop and more. The custom-designed tweeter allows each musical detail to come through, and we optimized the grill, fabric and materials so that you can enjoy the audio without distortion. 


Our goal was to ensure that Nest Audio stayed faithful to what the artist intended when they were in the recording studio. We minimized the use of compressors to preserve dynamic range, so the auditory contrast in the original production is preserved—the quiet parts are delicate and subtle, and the loud ones are more dramatic and powerful. 


Nest Audio also adapts to your home. Our Media EQ feature enables Nest Audio to automatically tune itself to whatever you’re listening to: music, podcasts, audiobooks or even a response from Google Assistant. And Ambient IQ lets Nest Audio also adjust the volume of Assistant, news, podcasts and audiobooks based on the background noise in your home, so you can hear the weather forecast over a noisy vacuum cleaner.


Whole home audio

If you have a Google Home, Nest Mini or even a Nest Hub, you can easily make Nest Audio the center of your whole home sound system. In my living room, I’ve connected two Nest Audio speakers as a stereo pair for left and right channel separation. I also have a Nest Mini in my bedroom and a Nest Hub in the entryway. These devices are grouped so that I can blast the same song on all of them when I have my daily dance party. 


With our stream transfer feature, I can move music from one device to the other with just my voice*. I can even transfer music or podcasts from my phone when I walk in the door. Just last month, we launched multi-room control, which allows you to dynamically group multiple cast-enabled Nest devices in real time. 


The Google Assistant you love

Google Assistant, available in Hindi and English, helps you tackle your day, enjoy your entertainment and control compatible smart home brands like Philips Hue, TP-Link and more. In fact, people have already set up more than 100 million devices to work with Google Assistant. Plus, if you’re a YouTube Music or Spotify Premium subscriber, you can say, “Ok Google, recommend some music” and Google Assistant will offer a variety of choices from artists and genres that you like as well as others that are similar.


Differentiated by design

Typically, a bigger speaker equals bigger sound, but Nest Audio has a really slim profile—so it  fits anywhere in the home. In order to maximize audio output, we custom-designed quality drivers and housed them in an enclosure that helps it squeeze out every bit of sound possible. 


Nest Audio will be available in India in two colors: Chalk and Charcoal. Its soft, rounded edges blend in with your home’s decor, and its minimal footprint doesn't take up too much space on your shelf or countertop. 


We’re continuing our commitment to sustainability with Nest Audio. It’s covered in the same sustainable fabric that we first introduced with Nest Mini last year, and the enclosure (meaning the fabric, housing, foot, and a few smaller parts) is made from 70 percent recycled plastic. 


Nest Audio will be available in India on Flipkart and at other retail outlets later this month. Stay tuned for more information on pricing and offers, which will be announced closer to the sale date.


Posted by Mark Spates, Product Manager, Google Nest 


*currently only available in English in India

Announcing DevFest 2020

Posted by Jennifer Kohl, Program Manager, Developer Community Programs

DevFest Image

On October 16-18, thousands of developers from all over the world are coming together for DevFest 2020, the largest virtual weekend of community-led learning on Google technologies.

As people around the world continue to adapt to spending more time at home, developers yearn for community now more than ever. In years past, DevFest was a series of in-person events over a season. For 2020, the community is coming together in a whole new way – virtually – over one weekend to keep developers connected when they may want it the most.

The speakers

The magic of DevFest comes from the people who organize and speak at the events - developers with various backgrounds and skill levels, all with their own unique perspectives. In different parts of the world, you can find a DevFest session in many local languages. DevFest speakers are made up of various types of technologists, including kid developers , self-taught programmers from rural areas , and CEOs and CTOs of startups. DevFest also features a wide range of speakers from Google, Women Techmakers, Google Developer Experts, and more. Together, these friendly faces, with many different perspectives, create a unique and rich developer conference.

The sessions and their mission

Hosted by Google Developer Groups, this year’s sessions include technical talks and workshops from the community, and a keynote from Google Developers. Through these events, developers will learn how Google technologies help them develop, learn, and build together.

Sessions will cover multiple technologies, such as Android, Google Cloud Platform, Machine Learning with TensorFlow, Web.dev, Firebase, Google Assistant, and Flutter.


At our core, Google Developers believes community-led developer events like these are an integral part of the advancement of technology in the world.

For this reason, Google Developers supports the community-led efforts of Google Developer Groups and their annual tentpole event, DevFest. Google provides esteemed speakers from the company and custom technical content produced by developers at Google. The impact of DevFest is really driven by the grassroots, passionate GDG community organizers who volunteer their time. Google Developers is proud to support them.

The attendees

During DevFest 2019, 138,000+ developers participated across 500+ DevFests in 100 countries. While 2020 is a very different year for events around the world, GDG chapters are galvanizing their communities to come together virtually for this global moment. The excitement for DevFest continues as more people seek new opportunities to meet and collaborate with like-minded, community-oriented developers in our local towns and regions.

Join the conversation on social media with #DevFest.

Sign up for DevFest at goo.gle/devfest.




Still curious? Check out these popular talks from DevFest 2019 events around the world...

Get a better handle on the work day at home with Google

While many of us are fortunate enough to be able to work from home during the pandemic, there's something to be said about the in-office environment that breaks up the day. Simple things like mid-morning coffee breaks to recharge or catching up with coworkers on the way to a meeting are definitely missed. 

We wanted to find a way for Google Assistant to help you stay productive and fight the “blur” that can happen when you work from home. Here's how you can use Google Assistant on any smart speaker, smart display or phone to find a better work routine at home. 


Set up a workday routine at home

Using Google Assistant Routines has become a popular way to get multiple things done with a single command. This week, we’re rolling out a new workday routine that automatically reminds you of all the small and big things to do throughout your work day—from staying on top of your calendar to taking a break away from the desk—that can sometimes be easy to forget. 

After you enable the routine in the Assistant settings on your Android or iOS device, you can start with a pre-set routine. For example, every Monday through Friday at 10:00 a.m., you’ll get a message from Google Assistant on your smart speaker or display saying “it’s time to stand up and stretch!” At 2:00 p.m., it might suggest going  for a walk, and then to grab a glass of water at 3:00 p.m. Finally, at 4:45 p.m., you’ll be reminded to start wrapping things up. Assistant will also regularly share the time with you throughout the day, so that you don’t lose track of upcoming meetings. Available starting in English, the individual Assistant actions and time blocks can all be customized to fit your schedule. 

workday.2020-09-21 17_18_28 12.gif

Schedule faster, and create to-do lists by voice

One of the simplest ways to use Google Assistant is for managing a busy schedule. You can add a new agenda item to your calendar right when it comes up with just your voice, especially when your hands are busy with something else. Just say “Hey Google, create an event” and specify the event name and date to help unload your mental task list. There’s no need to fumble around on your phone or laptop. And at any time, you can ask “Hey Google, what’s on my calendar?” or “Hey Google, when is my next meeting?”

Google Assistant can also help you create to-do lists or set reminders to stay on top of your workload. For example, try saying “Hey Google, remind me to take out the trash on Sundays at 5:00 p.m.” You can optionally specify a date as well, or say “every day/week/month/year” to set up recurring reminders. You’ll be able to pull up your to do list at any time or get a notification for upcoming reminders from any of your Assistant-enabled devices. 


A helpful reminder 

Your Google Assistant can also help you remember random or important pieces of information. Tell it what you need to know—things like “Hey Google, remember that Sam’s five-year work anniversary is next Wednesday” or "Hey Google, remember that the home office Wi-Fi password is ‘1234.’” 

Of course, from your Android or iOS phone, you can say “Hey Google, show my day” to get a Snapshot of important reminders and tasks, like paying your credit card. 


Stay connected with coworkers

While nothing can replace in-person interactions with colleagues, you can still check in by using Google Assistant on your Nest Hub Max. Just say “Hey Google, start a meeting” to connect with up to 100 people using Google Meet. To join your next meeting, say "Hey Google, join my next meeting" and you will easily connect to the next call on your personal Google Calendar. Later this year, you’ll also be able to join a video call using your Zoom account.


Mindfulness matters

It’s also important to take time to disconnect from work. Simply say “Hey Google, silence my phone” to turn on Do Not Disturb. You can also use that command for any specific Assistant-enabled devices, like Google Nest speakers or displays.

Finally, restorative sleep is the best way to stay energized and have a more productive work day. Over the next few days, we are rolling out Gentle Sleep and Wake to all smart lights to help you wind down at night and get up and at ‘em in the morning. In the evening, just say “Hey Google, sleep my lights at 10:00 p.m.” as a reminder to get to bed on time, and let the soothing experience lull you to sleep. 

Similarly, saying “Hey Google, wake my lights at 8:00 a.m.” will prompt your lights to fade in and change color for a gentle wake up. If you use Google Assistant alarms already, just say “Turn on Gentle Wake Up,” and your smart lights will start brightening 30 minutes before your alarm to help you resist the urge to hit the snooze button. 

We hope these tips help you have a productive work day at home. 


Need a dose of Disney+? Just ask!

Disney+ is a one-of-a-kind experience that transcends generations. Whether it’s a classic like Snow White or the new, live-action series The Mandalorian, Disney+ has something for everyone to love. And starting today, you can navigate Disney+ content on Google Assistant-enabled Smart Displays, like Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max, in select markets around the globe—just by using your voice. 

If you have a Disney+ subscription, simply link your account in the Google Home or Assistant app and you can play movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and more. Say, “Hey Google, play ‘The Mandalorian’ on Disney+” to start streaming instantly. You can also already cast Disney+ from your compatible mobile devices to your Nest Smart Displays and Assistant-enabled devices by opening the streaming service’s mobile app and tapping the Cast icon, or stream anytime on your Android TV.

And there are more ways Google is bringing the Disney experience home: 


Dress up your Mini as Mickey 

Our friends at OtterBox created a custom base accessory that lets you give your Google Home and Nest Mini Mickey Mouse makeovers. Just clip your device into the base to showcase Mickey’s iconic ears in any room. 

Google Home Mini Otterbox Mount.jpg

Journey through the world of “Frozen” 

Join some of your “Frozen” favorites—Anna, Elsa, Olaf, and Kristoff—around the campfire as they tell legends exploring the world of “Frozen 2.” You can hear these stories on Google Assistant-enabled Android and iOS phones, smart speakers and Smart Displays. To get started, just say, “Hey Google, tell me a ‘Frozen’ story” and you can pick which character you’d like to narrate.

Whether you’re indulging in nostalgia or experiencing a new generation of movies for the first time, Google now makes it easier than ever for everyone to enjoy Disney. 

Playlists that bring the news home

Podcasting is more popular than ever, and news is the fastest-growing category in podcasts. But there often tends to be a focus on national and broader news topics; it’s harder to find on-demand quality audio journalism at the local level, or about things that are personally relevant to listeners. 

We want to help bridge that gap with new, intelligent audio news experiences that deliver local stories and more personalized content. We’re bringing Your News Update to Google Podcasts and also making it easier to listen to local news when you ask Google Assistant. Both of these updates will feature new natural sounding text-to-speech voices to make the listening experience more enjoyable. 

Last fall, we launched our smart audio news playlist Your News Update on Google Assistant. Now, Your News Update is coming to Google Podcasts to make it easier for millions of podcast users in the U.S. to easily discover and listen to the news that’s especially timely and relevant to them.

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When you open the Google Podcasts app and navigate to the Explore tab, you can subscribe to Your News Update and listen to a mix of short news stories chosen in that moment based on your interests, location, user history and preferences. If you’re a music fan living in Los Angeles, for example, you might hear a local story on Governor Gavin Newsom’s latest announcement, and then a review of the latest Katy Perry album, followed by  a deep dive of the upcoming election. 

This tailored experience is made possible by applying Google News’s deep understanding of news stories to the audio format and personalizing what you hear. To start, we analyze what’s being said within a given audio file, then apply machine learning techniques to understand how the people, places and things in this story link together and relate to a particular person’s interests. This technology enables us to create playlists of stories that are always up-to-date and customized for everyone who’s using Your News Update. This format helps people hear stories from a variety of local and national publishers all in one place. 


Listening to local news on Google Assistant

The news cycle is currently dominated by topics like COVID-19, racial injustice and the recent hurricanes and wildfires, and while these stories all have important national angles, they're also directly affecting people's lives and local communities. Local stories already feature prominently in Your News Update, but now we’re also making it easier for people in the U.S. to listen to local news with the help of Google Assistant. Just ask your Google Nest smart speaker “Hey Google, play local news” or “Hey Google, play news about [your city],” and you’ll hear a mix of native audio and text-to-speech local news stories. 

To help you listen to text-based stories more easily, this feature uses new text-to-speech voices that sound more natural and well-suited for reading the news—think of it as our version of a newscaster. This new voice model was trained on reading longer segments of text and goes beyond just reading words out loud by incorporating voice pitch, sound length and stress on certain words and syllables. With this new technology, we can convert a wealth of content to audio for listeners while giving it a human touch.

Whether you’re listening on your commute, during a walk or in your home, we’re working to provide smarter, compelling news experiences made just for you. 

Get a Snapshot of your day with Google Assistant

Two years ago, we introduced Google Assistant Snapshot, a new way to stay on top of your day with Google Assistant. Now, we're adding a few updates to make Snapshot more helpful, and proactive, in keeping you ahead of your upcoming tasks while also providing you with recommended activities and more, all in one place on Android or iOS devices.


See a summary of your most important tasks 

In addition to the essential information you’ve grown to rely on like your agenda, commute times and reminders to pay your credit card, you’ll now start to see a summary of other important tasks right at the top—things like reminders for upcoming birthdays and holidays. Your Snapshot will adjust based on the time of day and your interactions with Google Assistant. For example, in the morning you will see a card about your commute, weather, to-dos and top headlines. 


Find helpful recommendations for dinner, activities and podcasts

Beyond that, we’re also adding tailored recommendations based on your preferences for recipes, podcasts and even nearby restaurants that deliver. Want some dinner inspiration? Just tap to check out new recipes you may want to try. You’ll also see recipe recommendations during different times of the day. 


Just say “Hey Google, show me my day” to get started

Currently, you can view your Snapshot by activating Google Assistant and tapping on the icon in the bottom left corner. Now we’re making it even easier: Just say, “Hey Google, show me my day.” This functionality is live for those using English as their default language and will continue to roll out to additional languages in the coming months.


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Get important notifications from your Google Assistant 

Snapshot is the best place to see everything you’ve got going on in one place, and for important tasks right around the corner, Google Assistant will send a notification to make sure you don't miss it. Google Assistant can send notifications to your phone with important information like flight and event updates, upcoming bills and due date reminders, and we’re adding even more features to help you stay on top of your day. In English-speaking markets, we’ll be adding upcoming birthdays. When you tap on the notification, you’ll be taken to the related Snapshot card to take action with suggestions like calling, texting or even singing a personalized birthday song. 

This is just the beginning. We will continue to explore new ways for Google Assistant to be there to help before you even need to ask for it.