The Google Assistant is one of the best features of Pixel smartphones. For now, it is exclusively available for Pixel series only. However, Google has confirmed that the ‘Google Assistant’ will soon be rolled out to more devices. There’s still a way to enable Google Assistant on Android 7.0 running non-Pixel devices.
The Google Assistant was unveiled at this year’s I/O conference. Later, it was released as part of Google Allo messaging app. On Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones, the new Assistant will be present on the home screen and can be launched by a long-press on the home button. The AI can contextualize the information for users, based on earlier interactions. While there is no release date for the new Assistant on non-Pixel devices, users with Android 7.0 running devices can enable it easily. The enabling method works with rooted smartphones and those sporting a custom recovery tool.
Here’s How To Enable Google Assistant On Non-Pixel Devices Running Android 7.0
A short guide to enable the Google Assistant has been launched by an XDA Developer forum member Brianelv. It is advised to take a full backup of all your data, before proceeding. You’ll need a smartphone running Android 7.0 Nougat or higher version with the Google app version 6.5.35.21 or above installed. The easiest way to get the Android Nougat on your device is through the beta program. Once done follow these steps:
1. Tweak the build.prop file, or install a flashable zip via custom recovery.
2. Just add or replace these lines on your build.prop: “ro.product.model=Pixel XL” and “ro.opa.eligible_device=true.”
3. Next, reboot and clear Google app cache.
4. Once the cache is cleared, your smartphone will run Google Assistant via long press on the home button.
XDA user @FaserF has posted a guide on how to use flashable zip file and the zip itself here.