computer science

Google Assistant

Google Assistant is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Google Assistant rather than just read about it. In short: Google Assistant is a virtual assistant software application developed by Google that is primarily available on home automation and mobile devices. Based on artificial intelligence, Google Assistant can engage in two-way conversations, unlike the company's previous virtual assistant, Google Now.

Key takeaways

Google Assistant belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Google Assistant to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Google Assistant from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Google Assistant is a virtual assistant software application developed by Google that is primarily available on home automation and mobile devices. Based on artificial intelligence, Google Assistant can engage in two-way conversations, unlike the company's previous virtual assistant, Google Now. Google Assistant debuted in 2016 as part of Google's messaging app Allo, and its voice-activated speaker Google Nest. After a period of exclusivity on the Google Pixel smartphones, it was deployed on other Android devices starting in February 2017, including third-party smartphones and Android Wear (now Wear OS), and was released as a standalone app on the iOS operating system in May 2017. Alongside the announcement of a software development kit in April 2017, Assistant has been further extended to support a large variety of devices, including cars and third-party smart home appliances. The functionality of Assistant can also be enhanced by third-party developers. At CES 2018, the first Assistant-powered smart displays (smart speakers with video screens) were announced, with the first one being released in July 2018. In 2020, Google Assistant was already available on more than 1 billion devices. Users primarily interact with Google Assistant through natural voice, though keyboard input is also supported. Assistant is able to answer questions, schedule events and alarms, adjust hardware settings on the user's device, show information from the user's Google account, play games, and more. Google has also announced that Assistant will be able to identify objects and gather visual information through the device's camera, and support purchasing products as well as sending money. Google Assistant is available in more than 90 countries and over 30 languages, and is used by more than 500 million users monthly. In October 2023, a mobile version of the Gemini chatbot, originally titled Assistant with Bard and simply just Bard, was unveiled during the Pixel 8 event. It is set to replace Assistant as the main assistant on Android devices, although the original Assistant will remain optional. The chatbot was released on February 8, 2024, in the United States. On March 14, 2025, it was announced that Assistant would stop working on Android devices using Android 9 and higher, iOS, and other devices such as the Google Nest, being mostly replaced by Gemini. Assistant will remain available for low-range phones, phones running Android 8.1 "Oreo" and lower, and devices running Android Go. In August 2026, Google announced that Assistant would be discontinued on September 4, 2026. It encouraged Assistant users to switch to Gemini.

History Google Assistant was unveiled during Google's developer conference on May 18, 2016, as part of the unveiling of the Google Nest smart speaker and new messaging app Allo; Google CEO Sundar Pichai explained that the Assistant was designed to be a conversational and two-way experience, and "an ambient experience that extends across devices". Later that month, Google assigned Google Doodle leader Ryan Germick and hired former Pixar animator Emma Coats to develop "a little more of a personality".

Platform expansion

For system-level integration outside of the Allo app and Google Nest, the Google Assistant was initially exclusive to the Google Pixel smartphones. In February 2017, Google announced that it had begun to enable access to the Assistant on Android smartphones running Android 6.0.1 or 7.0, beginning in select English-speaking markets. Android tablets did not receive the Assistant as part of this rollout. The Assistant is also integrated in Wear OS 2.0, and will be included in future versions of Android TV and Android Auto. In October 2017, the Google Pixelbook became the first laptop to include Google Assistant. Google Assistant later came to the Google Pixel Buds. In December 2017, Google announced that the Assistant would be released for phones running Android 5.0 through an update to Google Play Services, as well as tablets running 6.0 Marshmallow and 7.0 Nougat. In February 2019, Google reportedly began testing ads in Google Assistant results. On May 15, 2017, Android Police reported that the Google Assistant would be coming to the iOS operating system as a separate app. The information was confirmed two days later at Google's developer conference.

Smart displays In January 2018 at the Consumer Electronics Show, the first Assistant-powered "smart displays" were released. Smart displays were shown at the event from Lenovo, Sony, JBL and LG. These devices have support for Google Duo video calls, YouTube videos, GMaps directions, a GCalendar agenda, viewing of smart camera footage, in addition to services which work with Google Home devices. These devices are based on Android Things and Google-developed software. Google unveiled its own smart display, Google Nest Hub in October 2018, and later Google Nest Hub Max, which utilizes a different system platform.

Developer support In December 2016, Google launched "Actions on Google", a developer platform for the Google Assistant. Actions on Google allows 3rd party developers to build apps for Google Assistant. In March 2017, Google added new tools for developing on Actions on Google to support the creation of games for Google Assistant. Originally limited to the Google Nest smart speaker, Actions on Google was made available to Android and iOS devices in May 2017, at which time Google also introduced an app directory or application directory for overview of compatible products and services. To incentivize developers to build Actions, Google announced a competition, in which first place won tickets to Google's 2018 developer conference, $10,000, and a walk-through of Google's campus, while second place and third place received $7,500 and $5,000, respectively, and a Google Home. In April 2017, a software development kit (SDK) was released, allowing third-party developers to build their own hardware that can run the Google Assistant. It has been integrated into Raspberry Pi, cars from Audi and Volvo, and Home automation appliances, including fridges, washers, and ovens, from companies including iRobot, LG, General Electric, and D-Link. Google updated the SDK in December 2017 to add several features that only the Google Home smart speakers and Google Assistant smartphone apps had previously supported. The features include:

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Google Assistant

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Google Assistant claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Google Assistant before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Google Assistant ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Google Assistant

In research: Google Assistant appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Google Assistant in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Google Assistant is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2016 software, Android (operating system) software, Google software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Google Assistant outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Google Assistant in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Google Assistant means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Google Assistant out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Google Assistant in simple terms?

Why does Google Assistant matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Google Assistant?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Google Assistant.