Google App 7.20: Custom Hotword, Offline Podcasts, Duo On Smart Displays

Google has tons of apps on all its platforms but the Google app, a.k.a. the Google Search app, remains the gateway to most of its functionality. It does more than just search, of course, as it is also the app that houses Google Assistant. It is also your gateway to connected Google smart home devices. And by the time version 7.20 of the app rolls around, it will be able to do a lot more, including recognizing your own favorite pet name for Google Assistant.

Of the three, OK, maybe four or five, personal AI assistants, Google Assistant is unique in being the only one that doesn't have a more or less "personal" name. Perhaps Google wants to imprint its name and brand in every utterance, but it makes the interaction less personal and more mechanical. Finally, things are changing.

The decompiled Google app 7.20 APK reveals placeholders for instructions that suggest you will be able to use your own custom hotword to talk to Google Assistant. You can finally be as personal or impersonal as you want. How accurate that will be, and how limited, remains to be seen, but it's a good sign.

The Google app will also be able to link and unlink Google Duo accounts from smart displays. You know, those speakers with screens unveiled at CES. More than just displaying search results, the devices will also be used for voice chats, via Duo, of course. It's just a matter of waiting for the products to actually hit stores.

Last but not the least, the Google app now makes for a better ad hoc podcast app. You will finally be able to download episodes for listening later when you have no Internet connection. Do be aware that downloaded content gets removed after 30 days or 24 hours after they were listened to, whichever comes first.

VIA: 9to5Google