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The Google Assistant started rolling out to compatible phones running Android Marshmallow and Android Nougat in Canada as numerous Canadian users reported they now have access to Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) assistant. As expected, the Google Assistant is being delivered via a Google Play Services over-the-air (OTA) update that can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. If you’re located in Canada and your Google Play Services app is set up to update automatically, there’s not much you can do but wait until the update becomes available in your territory. The package is being rolled out in stages so it may take a few days until you’re able to download it, so do try to remain patient.
The version of the Google Assistant that’s currently rolling out in Canada only supports English, but the Mountain View-based tech giant confirmed that support for more languages will be coming later this year. However, that certainly won’t happen before the Google Assistant becomes available throughout Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, as well as Germany. The Alphabet-owned company initially announced the expanded availability of the Google Assistant in the run-up to this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) and confirmed that English and German are the first two languages that its AI helper will understand on third-party devices. So, while Canadian users will only be able to interact with the Google Assistant using English for the time being, it’s likely that the voice-enabled helper will also support French by the end of the year seeing how French is the seventh most spoken language in the world and Google will likely prioritize its support.
The Google Assistant started rolling out to non-Pixel devices in the United States last week and should be making its debut in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Germany in the coming weeks. While the Mountain View-based Internet company said that its voice-enabled companion will work on both Marshmallow and Nougat, there’s no guarantee that your device will actually receive it. However, all flagship handsets running two of the latest major iterations of Android should get access to the Google Assistant soon.