New Google Assistant Features Help You Coordinate Lunch Plans And Keep Kids Entertained

Google has added several new features to its ever evolving Voice Assistant to help coordinate your family’s food arrangements or remind you to get things done. For example, if you are on your way home, and want to confirm lunch plans, you can take advantage of the Broadcast system. It’s built into the functionality of connected devices like the Google Nest.

If you were to say, “ Hey Google, tell my family, how about lunch at noon?” The message will be broadcast across all your smart speakers, displays and smartphones that are part of your Family Group. Family members can respond to a message with voice commands of their own to confirm their interest. A total of six people can be added to a Family Group. Click here for more.

That’s not all, Family Bell reminders could prove just as useful. It is said to be a very popular feature when it comes to getting chores done around the home. These “bell” reminders can be set to alert your children to clean their rooms or remind other family members to complete a certain task. Soon, you’ll be able to say, “Stop” to end a bell instead of saying, “Hey Google”.

Now, users will be able to ring Family Bells across multiple home devices at once and they are not limited to smart speakers or displays. Google says that over the coming weeks, it will be expanding the Family Bell feature to eight new languages, including Dutch, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Thanks to a tie up with Pottermore Publishing, a smart display or android device can tell your kids Harry Potter stories by saying, “Hey Google, tell me more about Quidditch Story.” Google plans on adding more of such stories later in the year. You will be able to use the assistant to access more stories and games in the coming months, which is powered by Family Link.

Taking this a step further, the assistant can tell your kids stories with your consent with those under the age of 13. They just have to say, “Hey Google, tell me a story,” and they will get to know a whole list of available stories that are available. There also several trivia games available that will help keep your kids entertained for hours on end.