How to set up and customize Google Assistant

Make it yours, and you’ll get a lot more out of the experience.

While Google Assistant made its official debut with Allo, it wasn’t until the release of the Pixel that we’ve seen more of what Google has in store for their personal AI assistant. Now, Google Assistant has rolled out to all Android phones running on Marshmallow or later.

There are so many ways to use the Assistant throughout the day, from getting a daily briefing first thing in the morning to conveniently setting an alarm for the next day and nearly everything in between. To get the most out of Google Assistant, you’ll want to know about all the settings and features, and we’re here to help.

• How to set up Google Assistant on your Pixel
• How to change your account with Google Assistant
• How to customize your “Good morning” briefing
• How to customize Google Assistant’s news sources
• How to customize your Google Assistant nickname
• How to unblock offensive words
• How to view your activity history

How to set up Google Assistant

Google Assistant is baked right into any phone running Marshmallow and above, and can be accessed by long pressing the Home button or by saying “OK Google” if you’ve got voice activation enabled. If you’re logged into your Google Account, but have yet to set up Google Assistant, you can start the process by launching it from the home screen for the first time.

Launch Google Assistant by long pressing the Home Button.
Tap Next on the “Meet your personal Google Assistant” screen.
Tap Continue on the next screen to allow permissions.

And that’s that. You might also be prompted to configure voice activation, which just involves you repeating “OK Google” three times. Pretty simple!

How to change your account with Google Assistant

If you have more than one Google account active on your phone, it’s important to make sure Google Assistant is connected with the one you want. Google Assistant is able to pull details from Gmail, Google Photos, and other Google services including your calendar events as well as your Chrome browsing habits, so you’ll want to make sure you’re using your primary account.

If you accidentally set things up with the wrong account or simply want to switch over to a different account, it’s really easy.

Launch Google Assistant by long pressing the Home Button.
Press the blue button in the top-right corner of the Google Assistant window.
Tap the menu icon in the top-right corner of the Google Assistant window.
Tap Accounts.
Tap the account you want to use.

Switching between accounts is easy to do, though you’ll need to go through the quick setup process and allow the required access permissions.

How to customize your “Good morning” bulletin

You can use Google Assistant to give you a briefing on everything you need to know to start your day, from weather forecasts, calendar reminders, and a preview of your work commute. If you don’t need all that, you can customize it to suit your needs.

Launch Google Assistant by long pressing the Home Button.
Press the blue button in the top-right corner of the Google Assistant window.
Tap the menu icon in the top-right corner of the Google Assistant window.

Tap Settings

Tap Routines
Tap Good morning
Tap the checkboxes to toggle what’s included in your morning summary.
You can also toggle whether to end your summary with narrated news reports, music playlists, radio stations, audiobooks, podcasts or no audio at all.

Once you’ve set everything up, all you need to do is say “Good morning” to Google Assistant.

Read more about Google Assistant’s new ‘Routines’ feature

How to customize Google Assistant’s news sources

Google Assistant can help you keep up to date on what’s going on in the world with its narrated news service. It pulls radio news reports from reliable news sources which you can listen to after your daily briefing or by saying “OK Google, listen to news”. If this seems like a valuable feature to you, you’ll definitely want to customize your news sources.

Launch Google Assistant by long pressing the Home Button.
Press the blue button in the top-right corner of the Google Assistant window.
Tap the menu icon in the top-right corner of the Google Assistant window.
Tap Settings

Tap News.

Tap Add news sources
Swipe up to scroll through the list of news sources.

Check the box next to your desired news sources.

Tap the back arrow.
Tap Change Order
Tap and drag the news sources in the order you want to listen to them.

How to customize your Google Assistant nickname

Google Assistant will call you by your first name by default, but you can teach it to call you any nickname you want.

Launch Google Assistant by long pressing the Home Button.
Press the blue button in the top-right corner of the Google Assistant window.
Tap the menu icon in the top-right corner of the Google Assistant window.

Tap Settings

Tap Personal info.

Tap Nickname.

Tap the edit icon next to your name.

Type in whatever you want you nickname to be.
Tap OK.

If you don’t like how the Google Assistant is pronouncing your nickname, you can opt to spell it out phonetically by tapping the “Spell it out” radio button under Pronunciation, or you can record yourself saying your name.

How to unblock offensive words

By default, Google Assistant will censor all offensive words. If you’re alright with salty language, you can turn it off quick and easy.

Launch Google Assistant by long pressing the Home Button.
Press the blue button in the top-right corner of the Google Assistant window.
Tap the menu icon in the top-right corner of the Google Assistant window.
Tap Settings

Under Devices, click on Phone.

Swipe up to scroll through the options.
Tap on other voice settings.
Tap the toggle switch next to “Block offensive words”.

Google Assistant will never swear, but now words deemed as offensive won’t be censored in the transcriptions of what you say.

How to view your activity history

Your Google Assistant will keep track of not only all your search activity, but also where you were when you made your request. Google assures this data is kept secure and private. If you’d like to review your activity history and see the details, you can access it straight from the Google Assistant settings.

Launch Google Assistant by long pressing the Home Button.
Press the blue button in the top-right corner of the Google Assistant window.
Tap the menu icon in the top-right corner of the Google Assistant window.
Tap My Activity

Chrome will launch and you’ll be taken to Google’s log of all your logged activity with Google Assistant. From there, you can tap “details” to see more information, including roughly where you were when the activity occurred. If this sort of creeps you out, you can tap “Activity Controls” to toggle some of the settings, but this is basically what you signed up for to use Google Assistant.

How to change the voice of your Google Assistant

Google Assistant now comes with eight voice options, and they’re easy to switch between! The feature works on your phone and Home, and it’s a great way to add some diversity to your Assistant experience.

How to change the voice on your Google Assistant

Update, July 2018: This article was updated with new photos.

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

• Pixel 2 FAQ: Everything you need to know!
• Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL review: The new standard
• Google Pixel 2 specs
• Google Pixel 2 vs. Pixel 2 XL: What’s the difference?
• Join our Pixel 2 forums

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PlayStation 4 games releasing in July 2018

What are the PlayStation 4 games coming out in July?

There are some pretty amazing titles for the PlayStation 4, and we’re here to keep you updated on all the new ones! Be sure to check in with us every week to see what new titles you should be expecting, or excited for!

Notable release this month

Here’s what we’ve found so far!

The Banner Saga 3

Coming July 24th, 2018.

This is a visual game that is full of rich story with a grid-based ability system. Choices that you make effect the story and the world around you. Immerse yourself in this gorgeous game and get down to the hard decisions that will determine the survival of your people. How will you face the end of the world and still go on?

You pre-order this title for $39.99 on the Amazon.

See on Amazon

More PlayStation 4 releases

We’ve collected a list of upcoming PlayStation 4 games below. No worries, if any surprise titles pop up we’ll be sure to add it to the list!

• Red Faction: Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered – July 3
• Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – July 5
• 20XX – July 10
• Hotel Transylvania 3: Monsters Overboard – July 10
• Insane Robots – July 10
• MXGP Pro – July 10
• Shining Resonance Re:frain – July 10
• Earthfall – July 14
• Chicken Assassin: Reloaded – July 14
• Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion – July 17
• Sonic Mania Plus – July 17
• Tempest 4000 – July 17
• Touhou Genso Wanderer Reloaded – July 17
• Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 + 2 – July 24
• Runbow – July 24
• Train Sim World – July 24
• Hello Neighbor – July 24
• Sonic Mania: Encore Pack – July 18

Upcoming PlayStation Vita Releases

There is no content releasing for the PlayStation Vita this month

Upcoming Downloadable Content

• GTA Online: Nightclubs – July

Q2 games you might be seeing soon

• Torn
• Rainbow Skies

What are you playing?

Which PlayStation 4 game are you looking forward to most? Let us know in the comments section!

Updated July 2017: We will continue to refresh this list at the beginning of a new month to ensure you’re in the know when it comes to the PlayStation games being released soon!

PlayStation 4

• PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which should you buy?
• PlayStation VR Review
• Playing PS4 games through your phone is awesome

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OnePlus 6 Red hands-on: This is the one to get

This hot new color goes on sale July 10.

The OnePlus 6 is easily the best-looking phone OnePlus has released to-date, and while Mirror Black, Midnight Black, and Silk White are all fantastic colors, there’s one that’s been noticeably absent so far — the striking Lava Red from the OnePlus 5T.

Thankfully, that’s now changing as OnePlus has officially unveiled the OnePlus 6 Red.

As soon as you take it out of its box, the OnePlus 6 Red assaults all of your senses in the best way possible with its incredibly bright and vibrant paint job. The same six-layer glass design used on other OnePlus 6 variants is present, in addition to an extra “anti-reflective layer” that OnePlus says allows for more light to reach the bottom sections of glass before any light is reflected off the phone.

To concoct the red that’s present here, OnePlus mixed a translucent orange glass panel with a red base layer. The end result is one of the deepest, brightest, and most pleasing reds I’ve ever seen on a phone (even surpassing the red iPhone 8).

Along with the back of the phone, the red also makes its way to the frame, buttons, and alert slider. To complement all of this red, OnePlus also added a sleek gold accent to the OnePlus Logo, “Design by OnePlus” branding, and around the rear camera lens and fingerprint sensor.

If you want to pick up a OnePlus 6 Red for yourself, it goes on sale at OnePlus’s website on July 10 for $579 with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage.

Which color OnePlus 6 should you buy?

OnePlus 6

• OnePlus 6 review
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5T: How much changes in six months?
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5: Should you upgrade?
• These are the official OnePlus 6 cases
• The OnePlus 6 doesn’t work on Verizon or Sprint
• Join the discussion in the forums

New Evidence in iOS 12 of Apple’s Upcoming iPad With Face ID

Steven Troughton-Smith today shared new evidence in iOS 12 that Apple is close to launching an iPad with Face ID.

The well-known developer discovered an iPad-ready implementation of AvatarKit, the software framework that Apple’s Animoji feature relies on.

New in iOS 12: AvatarKit comes to iPad. Still requires a TrueDepth camera to do face tracking, though, i.e. an iPad with Face ID pic.twitter.com/9TvP2vsP6X

— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) July 3, 2018

Previously, only the iPhone X firmware has included the AvatarKit framework, which requires a TrueDepth camera to perform real-time face tracking, so the fact that Apple has included it in the iOS 12 beta offers another indication that an iPad with similar hardware is just around the corner.

The first hints in iOS 12 that Apple is readying a new-look tablet came in the form of tweaked iPad gestures that are similar to gestures on the iPhone X. These point to next-generation tablets with a notch-style layout with a TrueDepth Camera System and no Home button.

Indeed, rumors suggest Apple is working on a new high-end iPad Pro for release this year that will adopt many of the design elements that the company introduced with the iPhone X.

The device is said to feature slimmer edges, a faster processor, a custom Apple-built GPU, and the all-important TrueDepth camera with support for Face ID facial authentication.

iPad Pro concept by Álvaro Pabesio
Taiwanese site Economic Daily News has suggested Apple will introduce an iPad Pro with a display that measures in at approximately 11 inches, which is in line with reports suggesting the device could have slimmer bezels.

The thinking behind this is that a new iPad Pro could include the larger screen size without increasing the physical dimensions of the tablet.

According to Bloomberg, Apple is said to be aiming to introduce the new iPad “a little more than a year” after the last iPad Pro update, suggesting it will see a launch sometime around September of 2018.

TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims the iPad Pro will be released sometime in the third quarter of 2018, which also indicates a September launch.

Related Roundup: iPad ProBuyer’s Guide: 10.5″ iPad Pro (Don’t Buy), 12.9″ iPad Pro (Caution)
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NHS Unveils Mobile App to Let Patients Book GP Visits Online

The British government has announced plans to launch a new NHS mobile app that will let patients in England make appointments with their doctor.

The app will also allow users to order repeat prescriptions, manage their long-term healthcare, see their medical records, and quickly access 111 for urgent queries.

In addition, users will have access to patient preferences related to data sharing, organ donation, and end-of-life care.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt described the app as a “birthday present from the NHS to the British people”, 70 years after the service was founded.

The NHS app is a world-first which will put patients firmly in the driving seat and revolutionize the way we access health services.

I want this innovation to mark the death-knell of the 8am scramble for GP appointments that infuriates so many patients.

Technology has transformed everyday life when it comes to banking, travel and shopping. Health matters much more to all of us, and the prize of that same digital revolution in healthcare isn’t just convenience but lives improved, extended and saved.

As the NHS turns 70 and we draw up a long-term plan for the NHS on the back of our £394 million a week funding boost, it’s time to catch up and unleash the power of technology to transform everyday life for patients.

“The new app will put the NHS into the pocket of everyone in England but it is just one step on the journey,” said Matthew Swindells, NHS England National Director of Operations and Information. “We are also developing an NHS Apps Library and putting free NHS Wi-Fi in GP surgeries and hospitals.”

Today we have unveiled the new NHS App where you can book a raft of routine requests, including GP appointments and repeat prescriptions pic.twitter.com/CtX0UzZSIy

— DHSC Media Centre (@DHSCmedia) July 2, 2018

Developed by NHS Digital and NHS England, the app will enter its testing phase in September and then roll out officially in December. It will be available on iOS devices through the App Store, as well as on Android phones via Google Play.

Tags: United Kingdom, health
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Facebook Shuts Down ‘Moves’ Fitness Tracker and Two Other Apps Due to Low Usage

Facebook has announced it is shutting down three apps that the company either launched itself or acquired from other companies over the last four years.

“Moves”, “tbh”, and the Android-only “Hello” all face the chop as part of the company’s latest app cull. Facebook says the apps are being shuttered because of low usage.

Activity tracking app Moves was popular at the time of its acquisition
Fitness tracking app Moves was bought in 2014 from Helsinki-based company ProtoGeo Oy for an undisclosed amount. The app records daily activity, including walking, cycling, and running. Moves will shut down on July 31.

British-based Midnight Labs sold its anonymous teen social media app tbh to the social network in 2017 for an undisclosed sum, although TechCrunch reported that the price paid was likely less than $100 million.

Facebook says all user data associated with the apps will be deleted within 90 days following shutdown.

We regularly review our apps to assess which ones people value most. Sometimes this means closing an app and its accompanying APIs. We know some people are still using these apps and will be disappointed — and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support. But we need to prioritize our work so we don’t spread ourselves too thin. And it’s only by trial and error that we’ll create great social experiences for people.

Facebook’s last app cull came in August 2017, when it removed two standalone apps from the iOS App Store: the high school chat app “Lifestage” and community-focused gathering place “Groups”.

Tag: Facebook
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Amazon has an idea to stop its delivery drones being hijacked

Part of Amazon’s work on its proposed drone delivery service includes pumping out patents that explore an array of ideas for the technology.

While it’s hard to know if any of them will ever form part of the service, the filings at least give us some insight into how Amazon wants to build out the platform as it explores the various issues it believes it needs to overcome to make such a service viable.

Its most recent patent, granted last week by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, tackles the potential problem of drone hijackings.

With package-carrying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) flying out of Amazon warehouses to customer homes, there could be occasional attempts by ne’er-do-wells to bring down the flying machines in order to steal the goods.

While Amazon’s patent makes no mention of thieves running around with giant butterfly nets as they try to catch the drones, it does talk of attempts to interfere with their communication systems, allowing the perpetrator to bring the machine down so they can nab whatever goodies it happens to be carrying.

Amazon says in the patent: “As the use of UAVs continues to increase, so does the likelihood of hostility towards UAVs. Such hostility may come in the form of attacks brought for any number of purposes (e.g., steal the UAVs and their payloads, crash the UAVs, and otherwise cause disruption to the operation of the UAVs).”

It continues: “Using these attacks, nefarious individuals and/or systems may be able to obtain control of the UAVs by hacking the communication signals being sent to the UAVs from a controller and/or being sent by the UAV to the controller.” Amazon says such attacks “could cause the UAVs to operate unsafely and could also result in considerable financial loss for their operators.”

The patent explores the idea of sending a “heartbeat” signal from the controller to the drone every few seconds. If the heartbeat detects interference from a third party, the drone will automatically switch from mission mode to safety mode, prompting it to make efforts to either reestablish communication with the controller, regain control over the drone in the event of a hostile takeover, or possibly land the machine at a safe location where it can be rebooted or collected.

Amazon’s drone-related patents so far include everything from beehive-like drone towers and parachute drops to church steeple charging stations and self-destructing systems for malfunctioning machines. It even has one for a “flying warehouse” that would hover above urban areas and act as a base for the delivery drones. Now that we’d like to see.

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Did a drone help this notorious French gangster escape from prison?

It was a prison escape that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a Hollywood action movie.

Last Sunday, at least three armed associates of notorious French gangster Rédoine Faïd flew a hijacked helicopter into the grounds of Réau prison, south of Paris.

Witnesses watched in shock as the helicopter flew in and the operation to help 46-year-old Faïd escape got underway. Three men leapt from the helicopter before letting off gas canisters to disorientate those nearby. They then used a grinding machine to destroy a door that led to the visitor room where Faïd was located.

According to France’s justice ministry, the drama was over in just “a few minutes.”

The helicopter was flown to a spot 37 miles away, where a car was waiting for them. The pilot was unharmed.

It later emerged that the helicopter had landed in a part of the prison that did not have anti-flight netting over it as it was ordinarily used by visitors only.

Hobby drone assistance?

Nicole Belloubet, France’s justice minister, revealed on Monday that investigators suspect camera-equipped hobby drones may have been used by Faïd’s gang for reconnaissance missions in the lead up to the audacious jailbreak.

Drones have been spotted flying over the prison multiple times in recent months, leading the authorities to suggest a possible link to the jailbreak.

“Someone spotted this possible way out, and it could have been done using drones,” Belloubet said.

Faïd was serving 25 years for the murder of a cop during a robbery in 2010. Before that, he’d served jail time for armed robberies of banks and vans transporting cash. And it’s not the first time he’s launched a spectacular breakout. In 2013, he escaped from a different prison by using explosives to blast his way out. He was caught six weeks later.

A nationwide hunt for Faïd and his gang is now underway.

Drones and prisons

While we’ve heard plenty of stories about hobby drones being used to fly contraband into prisons, it’s the first time we’ve happened upon a case where they may have been used to survey a jail ahead of act like this.

Quadcopters and the like are a growing problem for prisons, with the small machines able to fly right into the grounds with little difficulty. In 2017, a drone gang was jailed in the U.K. for flying contraband — including drugs, weapons, and phones — worth a total of $1.3 million into five different prisons on nearly 50 occasions over two years. A number of high-tech solutions have been tested, but wide-scale rollout of a particular system is yet to take place.

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Prime Day 2018 kicks off July 16 with over a million deals spanning 36 hours

Things are about to get crazy.

Amazon has announced that Prime Day 2018 will be taking place on July 16 and will feature 36 hours packed with over a million deals you won’t want to miss. In 2017, the company held a 30-hour event, so this year will have an extra 6 hours of fun, and the deals are actually starting right now with $100 off the Echo Show and more.

Additionally, Amazon will be offering discounts to those using its desktop Assistant app and the camera feature in its mobile app.

The company states that there will be over a million deals that come and go through the event, and we know there is no way you’ll be able to keep up with all of that. Our friends at Thrifter will be covering every waking second of the event, so be sure to follow them on Twitter to see all the best deals as they happen.

We already have a bunch of great content available to help you ensure that you’re ready to maximize your savings on the big day, so check all of that out now. You’ll also want to make sure you’re signed up for our Prime Day newsletter to have all the latest news, leaked deals, and more delivered right to your inbox.

Looking for a little extra money to spend on Prime Day? We have giveaways running in the U.S., UK and Canada. Each region is giving away three Amazon gift cards to help you treat yourself to something nice on the big day.

Amazon begins its Prime Day celebration early with $100 off the Echo Show

The savings start today!

Prime Day may not officially start until July 16, but Amazon has started the deals early by taking $100 off its own Echo Show. The Alexa-enabled speaker-with-screen is available for just $129.99 for Prime Members — the lowest price we’ve seen for the Echo Show.

Most will already be familiar with Amazon Echo line of products, adding smart assistant functionality to rooms in your home. The hands-free, voice-controlled Show offers the ability to play music, control smart home devices, make calls, send and receive messages, answer queries, read the news, set alarms or timers, among other things. Housing a 7-inch touchscreen, the Show also allows for video flash briefings, Amazon Video content, music lyrics, security camera feeds, photos, weather forecasts, and more.

Our friends at Android Central have an in-depth review of the Echo Show, telling you everything you need to know.

If you’re not a Prime Member yet, there’s no better time than Prime Day to sign up for your 30-day free trial and make the most of all that Amazon Prime has to offer.

See at Amazon