Google Assistant Continued Conversations Finally Coming To Smart Displays
Those of you who own a smart display like the Lenovo Smart Display or the Google Home Hub might notice a change in Google Assistant over the new few days. Google has confirmed that the Assistant's Continued Conversations feature is beginning to roll out to smart displays in the US, and it sounds like it won't be long until every smart display has it.
Continued Conversations, put simply, was introduced last year as a way for users to ask a string of queries to Google Assistant without having to say "Hey Google" in between each of them. It's a small feature in the grand scheme of things, but it helps make these interactions with Google Assistant feel more natural and less like you're having a one-sided conversation with a robot.
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All Continued Conversations does is keep the microphone active for a short time after you ask Google Assistant something so it can listen for potential follow-ups. Beyond simply making conversation flow better, it can also save a fair amount of time if you've got a list of queries lined up for Google Assistant – after all, stopping to say "Hey Google" after each one results in a lot of wasted time when you've got an insatiable thirst for knowledge.
In any case, Google confirmed to Android Central that Continued Conversations will be hitting every Assistant-powered smart display in the US that's set to English. Android Central's Google Home Hub has already received the update, and it noticed that when the feature is turned on, a small icon will appear in the upper-left corner to let you know that Google Assistant is still listening.
As it is on Google's line of smart speakers, Continued Conversations isn't turned on by default. You'll need to opt-in to the service by opening up Google Assistant's settings, heading to "Preferences" and flipping the toggle under "Continued Conversations." Google says the roll out won't be complete for a few days, so if you're not seeing the option for Continued Conversations right away, keep checking back.