Third-Party Apps Support Available on Google Now

Third-Party Apps Support Available on Google NowGoogle is now moving forward with its voice activated assistant on Android by allowing selected third-party developers to integrate with the service. The Custom Voice Actions API allows developers to interred with Android based devices like mobiles, watches and tablets. So imagine being able to tell your phone ‘Ok Google – tell me what restaurants are around me using Zomato’ and Zomato would throw back answers to you.

Helping 3rd party developers use voice commands makes a lot of sense and is the logical step for both Google and Apple. Apple is also expected to get Siri working with 3rd party apps more aggressively in coming iterations and it reflects where computing as an industry is heading towards. With wearables becoming a mainstream product, exploring voice as a primary input for actions users want to perform is a crucial step. Think Tony Stark’s J.A.R.V.I.S 🙂

The utility of a voice activated assistant goes up dramatically for me if I can perform actions beyond system integrated apps like sms, email etc. My current usage of these features pretty much ends at Calendars, Alarms, Navigation and some fun demos to friends. With 3rd party developers pitching in ideas, Google is making a much more compelling voice assistant for Android devices. This integration also allows the user to minimize the number of clicks and enter the app immediately via a simple voice command.

In the recent updates, Google has also made several enhancements to Google Now. Before this integration, Google Now could pull data from other apps and display it to the user when required. This enhanced the overall experience for Google Now and the app, benefiting both Google and the developer.

While you are at it, you may also want to check Microsoft’s Hololens. This could be a great VR + Voice activated computer of the future.

Aditya S

Aditya S

A management graduate, passionate about gadgets and automobiles. Likes to be up to date about the latest things in the tech industry. An avid Android user who Lives to Drive.