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Google Assistant adds topical podcast search and photo sharing via voice

Google Assistant adds topical podcast search and photo sharing via voice

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A few new features to make Assistant more useful

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Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verg

Google Assistant is getting a few new skills to make the virtual assistant more useful, adding the option to share photos directly through voice commands, search for podcasts based on a specific topic, and integrate with more note-keeping apps like Any.do, AnyList, and Bring.

Podcast search is the simplest addition. Just ask Assistant to “find a podcast about holiday cooking” or “show me podcasts about New Year’s resolutions,” and Google will suggest episodes for you to listen.

Photo sharing also works the way you’d expect: you can pull up pictures by asking Google to show you a specific person or date, select your favorites, and then ask Google to send them to a friend. The new part here is the voice commands: instead of navigating the share menu, you’ll be able to ask Assistant to share them for you, no menus required.

Lastly, Google is expanding Assistant’s note and lists capabilities to support new note-taking services. To set it up, head to the “Services” tab in Google Assistant’s settings and link your note-taking service of choice with the “Notes and Lists” section. Once it’s set up, you’ll be able to create and add new items to those lists directly through voice commands.