When you think of Google Assistant, your mind might immediately jump to the Google Home smart speaker range, which houses the super smart voice assistant.
However, Google Assistant also has an important place in your smartphone, which means it can help you on the move. If you have an Android smartphone it's likely you already have the app built in, while iPhone users can download it for free from the App Store.Having an AI assistant in your pocket has lots of benefits, such as the ability to help you out on your travels. So if you're booking a holiday to a new destination or simply planning your daily commute to work, here’s how to use Google Assistant for all your travel needs.
How do I use Google Assistant?
Android devices have the upper hand over iOS ones when it comes to using Google Assistant on your smartphone. After all, the mobile operating system was developed by Google.
If you're using Android 5.0 or higher, you can simply hold the home button or say “OK Google” to activate the assistant. If you have this feature turned off, your phone will prompt you to turn it on. You can then ask Google Assistant a question or give it a command.
You can also activate Google Assistant by opening up the Google Assistant app, or if you have a Pixel 2, Pixel 3, or Pixel 3A, you can just squeeze the bottom half of your phone, which is pretty nifty.
If you have an iPhone, you’ll need to download the Google Assistant app from the App Store, and open it up every time you want to give it a command or ask a question.
However, there's a hack you can use if you want to enable voice activation for the AI assistant, which involves hijacking Siri. Simply enable a Siri shortcut phrase that allows you to open the Google Assistant app with a phrase – for example, “Hey Siri, Hey Google”.
An article by Lifewire details the process you need to go through to do this, and it could prove to be a useful feature if you want the same capabilities that an Android user enjoys.
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How to use Google Assistant with Google Maps
One simple way to use Google Assistant to help you on your travels is to use it in conjunction with Google Maps. iPhone user? Just download the app from the App Store first.
If, for example, you want Google Assistant to help you find the best way home from work, you’ll need to set an address as ‘Home’ in the Google Maps app.
Once you’ve done this, you can say “get me home” to Google Assistant, and it will draw information from Google Maps to show or verbally explain the best route based on your current location.
You can also check traffic updates and get the latest information on diversions and road closures, which is particularly helpful if you’re driving and you can’t look at your phone.
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How to book hotels and flights with Google Assistant
If you’re planning a holiday, you can use Google Assistant to book your hotel and research the best flight options, taking the legwork out of arranging a trip.
To book a hotel, you can give Google Assistant commands like “book a room at [hotel name] in [location], or “reserve a room at [hotel name] in [location] for [travel dates]”.
You can also get Google Assistant to do your flight research for you by asking questions like “how much are flights to Berlin?” or commands like “find me flights to Rome”.
Already have a flight booked? If you’re in the US you can even check into your flight and find out whether it’s delayed, although bear in mind that this feature only works for US domestic flights.
Once you arrive at your destination you can ask Google Assistant for holiday tips, such as requesting “things to do in London”.
How to convert currency and translate languages
Not sure how many US dollars are in a Danish krone? You can ask Google Assistant for pretty much any conversion you can think of.
The same goes for translations. If you’re wondering what the word for ‘Hello’ is in Swedish, you just have to say “What’s the Swedish word for ‘hello’?” and Assistant will instantly respond with the correct answer: “Hej!”
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