After a near six-month deadlock, Google finally took the lid off its heavily touted personal assistant – the Google Assistant. The advanced and more refined version of Google Now has been the key selling point for Pixel and Pixel XL from their early launch days. Back then, Google claimed the feature will remain exclusive to Pixel devices, but in a surprise move, the search giant started rolling it out to other Android smartphones as well.
As the rollout has already begun, any Android Marshmallow or Nougat user can get the taste of Google Assistant. There are specific steps to follow, which is exactly where we’ll be helping you out. Here’s what you have to do:
Getting the basics right
As we said, to run Google Assistant, you have to make sure that your device is running Google’s Marshmallow or Nougat operating system. Trying these steps on an older or ROM flashed iteration of Android may not work.
Update Google Play Services and Google App
After checking compatibility, you’ll have to ensure that your device is running the latest version of Google Play Services. You cannot run Google Assistant until Play services are updated to version 10.2.98 or above. Even Google App would need a minor update (v 6.13.25.21) for the assistant to work. So, get the update from Play Store or use an APK if the required version is nowhere to be found.
Change Language
Up next, you’ll have to change the language of your device to English US. This might seem like a problem, but there’s no other work around because Google Assistant is available only in some specific countries. You can make appropriate changes by heading over to Language and Input under device settings.
Getting Started With Google Assistant
Once you’ve changed the language, clear the cache of Google Play Services and Google App and hold the home button of your Android smartphone. Within seconds, you’ll see a popup asking you to ‘get started with Google Assistant on your Android smartphone’.
And here you go! Google Assistant is up and running on your Android smartphone. You can tweak the settings of your new “Assistant” and can even learn what more it can do to refine digital assistance more than ever.