Google Assistant can now record and send messages on Android phones

Google Assistant will now enable users to send audio messages without having to open a dedicated app. Users can also send audio messages using Assistant through third party apps like WhatsApp without actually having to hold the mic icon. Android users can process the feature from anywhere.

To do so users have to simply command Google by saying, "Hey Google, send an audio message" or "Hey Google, send an audio message to (the contact)" whomsoever the message has to be sent. The feature might not be immediately available to all users since it is a server-side roll-out.

Users must note that audio messages with Google Assistant requires an Android phone with cell service. The feature can be seen as an extension of the existing ability to text with just your voice. To send an audio message through a third-party app, commands like "Send a WhatsApp audio message to (the contact)" can be used.

Once users have entered the recipient in the command, Assistant will start recording and provide a text transcript underneath, 9to5 Google noted. Users can Cancel or Stop at any time and Send once done. As per reports, the recorded messages once recorded fully get sent to the receiver without asking for a confirmation.

"Voice-messaging is the modern day walkie-talkie. For me, sometimes it's the easiest way to send a quick note to my friends and family. You can now send audio messages with Google Assistant on Android smartphones--without holding down the little mic icon The feature is available in English-speaking countries around the globe, as well as in Portuguese in Brazil," wrote Mark Regan, Product Manager, Google Assistant in a blog post.

Last year, Google got the feature where Google Assistant could read aloud messages from third party apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Hike and Slack, TechRadar noted. Google Assistant could also reply to these messages via speech-to-text. Once users give Google Assistant to access notifications, they can command it to "read my messages". Google read these messages out loud and from there users can reply to these messages directly by voice or typing, and their response will be sent to the app from where the message was received marking the messages as "read."