Some old phones before the smartphone era had rudimentary voice features, with which it was possible to call a contact after saying their name. Now times have definitely changed and the voice assistants are real artificial intelligent: while on iPhones we can find Siri, on Android devices we can use voice commands by relying on Google Assistant, which has taken all the functionality of the old Google Now bringing them to a decidedly more advanced level.
We see in this guide how to install the voice assistant on Android and how to use the main voice commands to call someone, to send a message, to set a reminder, to set an alarm clock, how to get precise information for the weather and finally to get general information about a place or a famous person.
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1) How to install the Google voice assistant
In order to use voice commands, you will need to make sure that you have the latest Google version of the Google app and Voice assistant app on your Android smartphone.
Updated apps can be downloaded from here -> Google and Google Assistant .
Once you have installed everything you need, click on the Google app and go to the menu at the bottom right Other, then click on Settings -> Voice .
In this menu we activate the Voice output, make sure that the language entered is Italian and open the Voice Match menu.
In this menu we activate the two voices Log in with Voice Match and Unlock with Voice Match, then click at the bottom on Set voice model to be able to open the voice assistant only with your voice (you will be asked to register the command OK Google three times ).
At the end of the configuration, you can activate the Google voice assistant by saying, near the phone's microphone, the OK Google command on any screen or app, even with the phone screen off.
In order to function properly, an Internet connection is required (both WiFi and 4G are fine).
2) How to make a call
To make a call to a number in the address book, just say OK Google then say by voice Call followed by the name of the contact in the address book.
The Google Assistant will show you the contact and automatically initiate the call.
If we want to call a number not in the address book, just say OK Google then say Call the number followed by the phone number to call.
3) How to send an SMS or a chat message (WhatsApp, Telegram etc.)
With the voice assistant we can also send a message without using the keyboard, but using only the voice.
Say the command OK Google, then say the Send message to command, indicating at the end the name of the contact to send the message to.
The right contact will be associated immediately; now the voice assistant will ask us which application to use among those available on the device; we dictate the app by voice (SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram etc.), then we dictate the content of the message by voice.
When we're done, just use the Send command to send the message.
We can obviously make the message with Send WhatsApp message to, Send message with Telegram and so on much more specific.
4) How to set a reminder
If you are afraid of forgetting an important appointment, it is better to set a reminder at the preset time and date.
To set a reminder, just say the command OK Google, followed by the voice command Remember me of ; we complete the command with the reminder instructions, so as to allow the assistant to create the correct reminder and also to set any warnings and notices.
For example, we can use a command like Remind me to shop tomorrow at 10, Remind me to take my new dress next Friday at 18 and so on.
5) How to set an alarm clock
If we want to set a quick alarm without opening the clock app, we can do it via voice commands by saying OK Google, followed by Set a 10 minute alarm or Set an alarm for tomorrow at 7:30 .
We can obviously customize the alarm by indicating the days of the week in which it must ring, if it must be repeated or if we have to postpone it if it is not turned off after a few minutes.
6) How to get weather information
One of the most useful information that we can retrieve with the Google assistant concerns the weather.
To get weather information for the city or the place where we are currently, just say the voice command Ok Google followed by What is the weather or What is the weather forecast ">
Obviously we can also provide the name of a city in support, so as to know the forecasts for a holiday destination or for the city we intend to reach.
Other commands valid for weather information are What will the weather be tomorrow? , What will the weather be in the week, Will it rain today? or more precise information such as maximum temperature, minimum temperature, wind, pressure and humidity.
7) How to get generic information
Google's voice assistant can answer all our curiosities, just test it with targeted questions.
We can ask them the dates of birth and death of a famous or historical character, the beginning or the end of a historical event, how tall a famous person is, what the actors of a specific film are, how much an device costs on average etc. .
The peculiarity of Google's voice system is "the tree of knowledge" : by entering a request, other requests can be unlocked by pronouncing immediately after Google's reply, so as to "concatenate" all the information.
For example we can ask the age of a famous person and, as soon as Google replies, immediately ask " and how high is it? "; the voice assistant will engage with previous searches to provide us with the height of the same character required in the first voice command.
The tree of knowledge is also excellent for obtaining information on famous places, on historical events, on the results of a football match, on the calendar of a championship and on the next round of Serie A.
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