Google Assistant officially makes its way to tablets and older devices
Last month, we heard rumbles that Google Assistant was in the works to be officially coming to tablets thanks to some mentions in the updated Google application. However, the wait is now over as Google has made the official announcement via its blog.
With the Assistant on tablets, you can you can get help throughout your day—set reminders, add to your shopping list (and see that same list on your phone later), control your smart devices like plugs and lights, ask about the weather and more.
The rollout of Google Assistant to tablets has started today, but will be rolling out to more and more devices over the next few weeks. Obviously, this is the same version of Assistant that is found on your smartphone and Google Home devices, so you’ll be able to control all of your smart home devices.
Earlier this year we first brought the Assistant to Android 6.0 Marshmallow and higher with Google Play Services. Today, we’re adding Android 5.0 Lollipop to the mix, so even more users can get help from the Google Assistant.
In addition to bringing Assistant to tablets, Google has also announced that Assistant is starting to roll out to devices running Android 5.0 Lollipop. This is a bit surprising, but is a move to expand support to even more devices considering the fact that Lollipop is still on more than 26% of Android devices.
It’s great to see Google continue supporting older devices, along with tablets despite the fact that tablet sales are in a steep decline and viable options are not readily available. Let us know if you’ve received the update on your tablet with Assistant and if you’ve run into any issues.