Google Assistant tips and tricks: Master your Android assistant

Google Assistant is finally here and it’s more integrated on Pixel than any other assistant you’ve ever used on another device.

With the launch of Google’s Pixel-branded smartphones, Google has officially unleashed Assistant in full form. The personal assistant is exclusive to the Pixel and Pixel XL, at least initially, bringing Apple Siri-like and Microsoft Cortana-like and Amazon Alexa-like functionality to the handsets. You can ask Assistant almost anything, and it will understand your words in context to serve up relevant results.

Assistant even has a (female) voice – meaning Assistant can actually talk back to you, and yes, it’ll have a sense of humour. To help you figure out everything Assistant does on the phone, we’ve rounded up some expert tips and tricks.

Browse them all below. But keep checking back to see what else we’ve added, because we plan to continually update this piece over time.

What is Google Assistant?

Google Assistant is Google’s iteration of a personal assistant. It’s considered an upgrade or an extension of Google Now, as well as an expansion of Google’s existing “Ok Google” voice controls. It’s conversational, too. You can ask a question and follow-up questions, and Assistant will track the conversation, determine context, and audibly respond with the right information.

• What is Google Assistant, how does it work, and when can you use it?

Google Assistant US vs UK

We’ve already spotted that the US and the UK currently offer up slightly different services in Google Assistant. This is likely to continue when Google Home launches. Currently, the UK doesn’t offer the full collection of news services that the US does, but here we’re listing tips and tricks for everyone – you just might not not be able to access them all right now.

Google Assistant tips and tricks

Getting started

When you first get your Pixel smartphone, power it on, and start setting it up, you’ll be asked to use Google Assistant and “OK Google” always-on voice detection. You’ll have to set up an “OK Google” voice model so that the phone can recognise your voice at any time and activate Google Assistant to serve your needs (whether that be to play music, fetch the weather forecast, or whatever).

Pick the right Google account for Assistant

Google Assistant feeds off your Google account, just as Google Now does. It’s important to make sure that you setup Assistant with the the same account that you’re going to be asking it to find information from, especially when it comes to photos. If you use one account for Assistant and a different account for your Google Photos, then it won’t have access.

Adjust settings

Google Assistant has a Settings menu. Under this menu, you can do everything from adjust your “OK Google” voice model to see a summary of your activity generated by Assistant. To access Assistant’s Settings menu, open the Settings app, and then go to Google > Search & Now > and Settings (under Google Assistant). From there, you’ll see several submenus with settings options.

Alternatively, from any screen including the home screen, hold down the Home button, then tap More button (three vertical dots) in the top left of the Assistant screen, and select Settings.

Enable/disable Assistant

Under the Assistant’s settings, scroll to “Adjust settings for this Pixel device”. Beneath that, you’ll see a toggle next to Assistant. When you turn on the toggle, you give Assistant permission to answer questions and get things done.

Customise your news list

Under the Assistant’s settings, scroll to “News” beneath the Pixel section. Tap it to customise your news list. You’ll have to hit the customise link on the next screen, but then you can select a bunch of news sources, including NPR, PBS, CBS, and more. After you select which news sources you’d like to hear from, you can ask Assistant to narrate the news for you. This isn’t currently available in the UK.

Customise ‘My Day’ summary

Under the Assistant’s settings, scroll to “My Day” beneath the Pixel section. Tap it to customise your daily briefing. You can select from a handful of options, including weather, work commute, reminders, whether you’d like to end your day with a narration of the news. After you’re done, you can ask Assistant for a readout of your day and get responses interesting to you.

In the UK, you currently only get the time and weather.

Access Shopping List

Under the Assistant’s settings, scroll to “Shopping List” beneath the Pixel section. Tap it to access your Shopping List via the Google Keep app.

This isn’t currently enabled in the UK: asking to view your shopping list in the UK gives you an error from the US voice, which is strange.

Enable/disable screen context

Under the Assistant’s settings, scroll to “Adjust settings for this Pixel device”. Beneath that, you’ll see a toggle next to “Use screen context”, which is basically Now on Tap 2.0. When you turn on the toggle, you give Assistant permission to show you info related to what’s on your screen. It might show you relevant links in YouTube or IMDB, for instance.

Change your Assistant language

Under the Assistant’s settings, scroll to “Adjust settings for this Pixel device”. Beneath that, you’ll see “Assistant Language”. Tap it to see Language Preferences, where you can select your default language and add a language.

Enable/disable always-on ‘OK Google’

Under the Assistant’s settings, scroll to “Adjust settings for this Pixel device”. Beneath that, you’ll see “‘OK Google’ detection”. Tap it. From there, turn on the toggle for “Say ‘OK Google’ any time” to give Assistant permission to recognise your voice whenever you say “OK Google” – even if your screen is off or you’re using an app. This makes Assistant always-on.

Use ‘OK Google’ to unlock device

Under the Assistant’s settings, scroll to “Adjust settings for this Pixel device”. Beneath that, you’ll see “‘OK Google’ detection”. Tap it. From there, turn on the toggle for “Trusted Voice” to give Assistant permission to unlock your device when it hears you say “OK Google” (the sound you make must match your previously recorded “OK Google” voice model, however).

Retrain ‘OK Google’ voice model

Under the Assistant’s settings, scroll to “Adjust settings for this Pixel device”. Beneath that, you’ll see “‘OK Google’ detection”. Tap it. From there, tap “Retrain voice model”. You’ll then have to re-say “OK Google” a few times so that Assistant can remember and recognise how you say the phrase. It can then use the phrase as a wake word and device-unlock word.

Delete ‘OK Google’ voice model

Under the Assistant’s settings, scroll to “Adjust settings for this Pixel device”. Beneath that, you’ll see “‘OK Google’ detection”. Tap it. From there, tap “Delete voice model” so that Assistant can’t remember and recognise how you say the phrase. Keep in mind you then can’t use the phrase.

Use offensive words with voice

Under the Assistant’s settings, scroll to “Adjust settings for this Pixel device”. Beneath that, you’ll see “‘Voice”. Tap it. From there, turn on the toggle for “Block offensive words” so that Assistant will recognise (and won’t hide them either) in voice results.

Set your home and work locations

Under the Assistant’s settings, scroll to “Google Account settings”. Beneath that, you’ll see “‘Personal info”. Tap it. From there, you’ll see the option to add your Home and work locations. Tap it, and then manually enter your addresses. If you’ve been using Google Now previously, this information will probably already be in place.

Set your nickname

Under the Assistant’s settings, scroll to “Google Account settings”. Beneath that, you’ll see “‘Personal info”. Tap it. From there, you’ll see the option to add your nicknames. Tap it, and then manually enter your nicknames. You can also test that Google knows how to say it correctly.

Change weather units

Under the Assistant’s settings, scroll to “Google Account settings”. Beneath that, you’ll see “‘Personal info”. Tap it. From there, you’ll see the option to change your weather units. Tap it, and then select from Fahrenheit or Celsius.

View ‘My Activity’ summary

Under the Assistant’s settings, scroll to “Google Account settings”. Beneath that, you’ll see “‘My Activity”. Tap it. From there, a screen will pop up showing you all the “control data generated by your Assistant”.

Things you can say and do

Google Assistant is your personal assistant. It can play music for you, set reminders, check your flight, and more. Here’s a few things you can say and do with Assistant using just your voice. You just have to say “Ok Google” or press and hold the Home button on the Pixel phones to access Assistant.

Play music

To ask Assistant to play some music, say “OK Google” and then say “play some music”, “play some Jazz”, “play some workout music”, “listen to Daft Punk”, or “listen to Imagine on Spotify”, etc.

If you have more than one music app, it will give you the option of the service you want to use, open it up and start playing. If you’re playing Spotify on another device, Google Assistant can still control what you play, too.

Watch something on Netflix

To fire Netflix and get watching, say “Ok Google” and then say what you want to watch: “Watch Luke Cage on Netflix”. This will open Luke Cage on Netflix. You don’t have to watch Luke Cage, but you should, it’s good.

Listen to news

To ask Assistant to narrate news from sources you’ve pre-selected, say “OK Google” (or hold down the Home button), and then say “what’s the news”, “international news”, “what’s the news about Obama”, or “sports news”, etc. As we said, you can’t do this in the UK yet.

Ask about your day

To ask Assistant for your daily briefing, say “OK Google” and then say “good morning”, “good afternoon”, or “good evening”, etc. You’ll get the weather, upcoming meetings, a news narration, etc, with different options in different territories.

Set reminders

To ask Assistant to set reminders for you, say “OK Google” and then say “set a reminder…”, ” remind me to buy milk”, “remind me to buy milk tonight”, “remind me to call mom”, or “remind me to do laundry when I get home”, etc.

Set alarms

To ask Assistant to set an alarm for you, say “OK Google” and then say “set an alarm…”, “wake me up at 9 am”, wake me up at 10 am everyday”, “set my alarm for 8 am”, or “show my alarms”, etc.

Ask about the weather

To ask Assistant about the weather, say “OK Google” and then say “what’s the weather”, “will it rain tomorrow”, “how hot is it outside”, “what’s the temperature”, or “forecast for the weekend”, etc.

Fetch sports news

To ask Assistant about sports news, say “OK Google” and then say “Did the Red Sox win”, “tell me sports news”, “when’s the baseball game”, “who is the fastest man alive”, or “what is the Real Madrid roster” etc.

Ask a question

To ask Assistant a general question, say “OK Google” and then ask any question, such as “who is Archimedes”, “how far is the moon”, “how many ounces in a cup”, or “how many ounces in a pound”, or “what is a dangling participle” etc. In many cases, Google will read the information back to you, telling you the source.

Find stuff nearby

To ask Assistant to find stuff nearby, say “OK Google”, and then say commands like “find a restaurant”, “nearby events”, “nearby hotel”, “what are some nearby pubs”, or “what comedy movies are playing” etc.

Find stuff while traveling

To ask Assistant to find stuff while you’re traveling, say “OK Google” and then say “flights to New York”, “hotels in Boston”, “restaurants in Barcelona”, “where can I hike in France”, or “Is United flight 16 on time”, etc.

Check your next flight or booking

With Google Now ripping flights out of Gmail, Assistant will know things about your booked travel. Just say “Ok Google” then “what’s my next flight” and you’ll get a list of upcoming flights. You can also ask “when am I going to Barcelona?” and you’ll get the details of your Barcelona flight, for example. 

Do real-time translations

To ask Assistant to do real-time translations for you, say “OK Google” and then say “‘Hello’ in Spanish”, “‘Thank you’ in Japanese”, “What’s ‘Good morning’ in Italian”, or “Translate ‘airport’ to French” etc.

Place a call

To ask Assistant to place a call for you, say “OK Google” and then say “call Sally”, “make a phone call”, “call Alice Walker”, or “call mom at home”, etc.

Send a message

To ask Assistant to send a message for you, say “OK Google” and then say “send a message”, “text Eric”, “send a WhatsApp message”, “text Alice arriving at 5pm”, or “tell Sally I’ll be 5 mins late”, etc.

Set timers

To ask Assistant to set a timer, say “OK Google” and then say “set a timer”, “countdown 1 minute”, “start a timer for 10 mins”, or “set a timer for 5 minutes”, etc.

Open any app

To ask Assistant to open an app for you, say “OK Google” and then say “open YouTube”, “Open Calendar”, or “Open Wi-Fi Settings”, etc.

Search Play Store

To ask Assistant to find an app for you in Play Store, say “OK Google” and then say “Facebook in Play Store”, “WhatsApp in Play Store”, “Uber in Play Store”, or “Twitter in Play Store”, etc.

Search Google

To ask Assistant to search Google, say “OK Google” and then say “search for…” followed by whatever you’re looking for – be it vacation idea, zebra facts, funny one-liners, or facts about the moon, etc.

See what’s on your calendar

To ask Assistant to look at your calendar, say “OK Google” and then say “what’s on my calendar”.

Show your photos, show photos of your dog, food, kids

To ask Assistant to show your Google Photos, say “OK Google” and then say “show me my photos”. Google Photos knows that photos contain, so it will also return photos of objects, like your dog, food, kids or places, just say “show my pictures of cars” and you’ll get your car photos displayed.

See your emails

To ask Assistant to show your Gmail emails, say “OK Google” and then say “show me my emails”. This will display emails from your linked account. Google Assistant currently can’t read messages.

Voice dictate in apps

To use Assistant to dictate in supported messaging apps, including Google’s own Messaging app, tap the microphone icon in your keyboard.

Get directions

To ask Assistant to help you navigate, say “OK Google” (or hold down the Home button), and then say “navigate home”, “navigate to work”, “directions to 100 Main Street”, “Navigate to the nearest coffee shop”, or “navigate to the post office”, etc. This will calculate the route and open up Google Maps Navigation.

Unlock your device

To ask Assistant to unlock your device, simply say “OK Google” (must enable Trusted Voice under Settings). If you’re in a loud place, it might not recognise your voice properly.

Fetch screen context

To ask Assistant to show info related to what’s visible on your screen, hold down the Home button.

Take a selfie

Google Assistant will help with this essential task. Simply say “OK Google” followed by “take a selfie”. This will instantly open the camera and start a 3 2 1 countdown. Remember to smile.

Toss a coin

The universal method of decision making. Say “Ok Google” and then “toss a coin”. Assistant will toss that coin and let you know if it’s heads or tails.

Turn on flashlight

“Ok Google” then “turn on flashlight” will turn on the flash on your phone. Great for peering into dark holes. 

Fun and games

Google Assistant can be funny, like Siri. And it’s good at keeping your mind occupied when you’re feeling bored. Here’s a few things that Assistant can do beyond working day and night to serve your every need.

Play a game

To ask Assistant to play a game, simply say “OK Google” (or hold down the Home button), and then say “play a game”.

Play trivia

To ask Assistant to play trivia, simply say “OK Google” (or hold down the Home button), and then say “play trivia”. It’ll then let you choose from various subjects, such as math, geography, entertainment, etc.

Say ‘I’m bored’

To ask Assistant to entertain you, simply say “OK Google” (or hold down the Home button), and then say “I’m bored”. It’ll then let you play a game, or it’ll tell you a joke. It’ll even “surprise you with some random fun”.

Ask for a poem

To ask Assistant to recite a poem, simply say “OK Google” (or hold down the Home button), and then say “recite a poem”. 

Ask for a joke

To ask Assistant to tell you a joke, simply say “OK Google” (or hold down the Home button), and then say “tell me a joke”. You can then ask for one more.

Ask for a random number

Say “OK Google” (or hold down the Home button), and then say “tell me a random number”. What comes next may surprise you.

Ask the ultimate riddle

Tolkien fans will be familiar with this one. Say “Ok Google” then “what have I got in my pocket?”. You’re welcome.

What’s the meaning of life?

Fans of Douglas Adams might be less impressed: say “Ok Google” then “what’s the meaning of life?”. Comedy is great, but we’re a little saddened by the result.

Finally, getting more philosophical…

Try asking Google Assistant “when am I?”