Google Assistant gets new features; can track iPhones, order food

Google has added some new features to its Google Assistant to make life easier for users. The search giant, in a blog, said the new features allow Google Assistant to make ordering food easier, find users' smartphone including iPhone, set a new routine for Google home devices, and more.

Here's the list of new features:

Get your takeout faster: To use this new feature of Google Assistant, one can google for whatever restaurant they like to order from and select the "Order Online" button. After making food selections, tag in Google Assistant to complete the order. Assistant - which uses stored contact and payment information from Google Pay and Chrome Autofill - then asks for final confirmation to pay, and the order is placed.

Find your phone: Earlier, Google Assistant could only locate Android devices because of Apple's closed ecosystem to its iOS devices. Now Google Assistant can locate a user's iPhone too. To enable this feature on iPhones, after selecting the option to receive notifications and critical alerts from the Google Home app, one can get a notification and hear a custom ringing sound even when the device is on silent or on 'Do Not Disturb' mode. Just ask Google Assistant, "Hey Google, find my phone".

New routine for smart home devices: You can also set up sunset and sunrise routines for your smart devices using Google Assistant. For example, one can ask to have your living room lights turn on when the sun goes down. To set up the sunset/sunrise option in the Google Home app:

• Select the "New" routine tab in the Google Home app or Assistant settings.
• Under "how to start," you'll need to "add starter," then you'll see an option for "Sunrise/sunset."
• From there, you can customise the time and specific actions you want them to trigger.

Google, in the blog, stated that, "We've included a dedicated section in ready-made routines to highlight popular 'suggested actions' to inspire you, such as "Tell me if my battery is low" or "Tell me what happened today in history." You can also add a "shortcut" icon to your Android home screen for your favourite routines. Head to the overview screen for routines in the Google Home app or Assistant Settings and click the "Add to Home Screen" icon in the top app bar."

Google Assistant can now also provide exclusive news about the upcoming Oscars by just asking simple queries like: "Hey Google, when are the Oscars?" or "Hey Google, who's nominated for Best Film at the Oscars?" or "Hey Google, what are your Oscar predictions? or "Hey Google, who do you think is best dressed at the Oscars?"

One can also try saying, "Hey Google, give me an Oscar award" for an awesome surprise, it said.

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