Google Home update prepares for voice calling and 4th of July fun
A new version of the Google Home app is being delivered to beta users right now. The app has nothing new to offer on the surface, but ti seems Google may be preparing to add some big functionality pretty soon.
The biggest change is the readying of voice calling support, a feature we got excited for after it was announced at Google I/O last month. Hands-free voice calling will allow you to ask your Assistant to call a contact and you’ll be able to carry the conversation out using the unit.
While Google wasn’t clear on how this would work, new evidence shows that they may be routing the calls through their Google Voice service using an assigned phone number that you can link your actual phone number to. This is opposed to a solution where the phone call would take place on the phone itself, with the Google Home unit essentially acting like a Bluetooth speakerphone.
That method makes Google Home more independent as it doesn’t have to rely on your phone being within proper distance, but we’re hoping it won’t be confusing for folks on the other end with pitfalls such as new phone numbers showing up on their caller ID.
Other changes on tap seem to be pretty neat, too, such as the ability to control which of your devices primarily responds to your Google Assistant queries (because you could have as many as 5 of them vying for your attention at once) and a hint that Google Home may be cooking up something 4th of July related. We’re sure to hear more about that last one before, well, 4th of July.
[via AndroidPolice]