When Apple reacted positively to the feedback from its customers that they were missing out on some of the features of Android and other Google technologies, it became a win-win situation for everyone. Some select apps available on the Google Play Store were made accessible on the Apple devices also.
Subsequently Apple has allowed its AI-based digital voice assistant Google Assistant also on iPhones. While it chose the US to make this facility available, it is now being extended to the other markets also. iPhone users in India, Germany and France will also be able to make use of Google Assistant on their iPhones from now on. Not just iPhones, but iPads and iPad Nano users will also have this additional feature on their devices.
Google Assistant is capable of executing several errands for the user; making calls on voice suggestions; the digital assistant can instantly play music of the user’s choice, from Apple Music or from YouTube and a host of other services.
You are travelling to a new town and you are not sure of the weather conditions, you can ask Google Assistant to fetch the complete information. Except the alarm function, most other functions of Google Assistant can be enjoyed by the users.
It has to be recorded that only those Apple devices running on the iOS version 9.1 and above are getting this new facility.
For obvious reasons, Apple won’t allow Google Assistant primacy over its own SIRI. So, the Home button will continue to be used for summoning SIRI. Google Assistant will be assigned a separate widget which can be positioned by the user at an easily accessible location.
The five languages which the Google Assistant understands till now are English, German, Japanese, French and Portuguese. There are reports that Google is working on two additional languages, Korean and Spanish.
Depending on which side of the fence you are, this move by Apple can be viewed as a positive or negative. The diehard Google fan will say the Google Assistant will remain a secondary feature and Apple will never allow SIRI to be pushed into the background. Apple users may feel they are good with SIRI and don’t need another assistant.
Whatever the expectations, the coming few months will reveal how successful this move by Apple is.