Google Assistant is present on almost all Android phones now, but more devices are going to get a dedicated hardware button you can use to access it. The announcement, which Google made at Mobile World Congress 2019, comes after we’ve already seen some of the new phones with the dedicated button.
The first phone to feature a dedicated button to access Google Assistant was the LG G7 ThinQ last year. Most Android phones can access Google Assistant by holding down on the home button, but as Google and other manufacturers start to move away from using the traditional Android navigation keys in favor of new gesture controls, a new way to access Assistant is not just beneficial, but necessary.
New phones with the dedicated button will come from the likes of HMD Global, with the Nokia 4.2 and Nokia 3.2, and LG, with the G8 ThinQ as well as the midrange K40. Xiaomi is also a partner, so the Mi Mix 3 5G and Mi 9 will have the button, and so will Vivo’s V15 Pro. TCL is also on the list, but Google said its device will come later this year. BlackBerry, which is under the TCL brand, already has an extra button you can remap to use Google Assistant, so it’s not a stretch to see something similar on Alcatel devices (also under the TCL brand). With all these partnerships, Google said it expects more than “100 million devices to launch with a dedicated Google Assistant button.”
The single button offers three ways to use it. A single tap launches Google Assistant, letting you quickly ask it questions — from Google queries to what’s next on your calendar. A double tap will open Visual Snapshot, which is sort of a hub with curated information about your day, that varies based on time of day, location, and your recent interactions with the Assistant. Then you can long-press the button to trigger a Walkie-talkie feature, so Assistant will listen for a full query, which Google said is ideal for when you want to send an email or long text messages.
The big question is whether you will be able to disable or remap the Google Assistant button to do something else if you don’t use the voice assistant much. Currently, LG lets you disable the button on the G7 ThinQ, but there’s no option to remap it. It’s the same qualm people have with Samsung’s Bixby button on its Galaxy smartphones.
As smartphones continue along the bezel-less trend with gesture navigations to interact with the operating system, we’re also seeing a small push to eliminate physical buttons in favor of haptic ones as well. It’s interesting to see a new physical button on the phone becoming more prevalent, and it only shows the speed at which artificial intelligence assistants are growing. Soon it may be commonplace to expect a dedicated A.I. button on phones as you would the power button or volume rocker.
Google is launching a powerful new AI app for your Android phone
Remember Bard, Google’s answer to ChatGPT? Well, it is now officially called Gemini. Also, all those fancy AI features that previously went by the name Duet AI have been folded under the Gemini branding. In case you haven’t been following up all the AI development flood, the name is derived from the multi-modal large language model of the same name.
To go with the renaming efforts, Google has launched a standalone Gemini app on Android. Moreover, the Gemini experience is also being made available to iPhone users within the Google app on iOS. But wait, there’s more.
Nokia’s newest Android phone has an unbelievably cool feature
HMD Global’s newest Nokia phone is one you can repair yourself if key parts of it get broken. The Nokia G42 is the second device from the company in its QuickFix lineup and the first with 5G connectivity, but the level of quick and easy repairability is the same as the 4G Nokia G22 announced earlier this year.
This means you can replace a cracked screen, a dead battery, a broken USB Type-C charging port, or a damaged rear cover yourself. There’s no need to throw the phone away, visit a repair center, or pay someone else to do the work. HMD Global has a partnership with iFixit, where you can order the replacement parts and follow the simple instructions to fit them at home. It's something we rarely see in the smartphone world — even from the best smartphones from Apple, Samsung, and Google.
AT&T just made it a lot easier to upgrade your phone
Do you want to upgrade your phone more than once a year? What about three times a year? Are you on AT&T? If you answered yes to those questions, then AT&T’s new “Next Up Anytime” early upgrade program is made for you. With this add-on, you’ll be able to upgrade your phone three times a year for just $10 extra every month. It will be available starting July 16.
Currently, AT&T has its “Next Up” add-on, which has been available for the past several years. This program costs $6 extra per month and lets you upgrade by trading in your existing phone after at least half of it is paid off. But the new Next Up Anytime option gives you some more flexibility.
