Google Assistant can now find your iPhone and order takeout - Android

Google Assistant is arguably the most robust voice assistant available on mobile today. From your Android phone to your TV it can handle many common tasks like playing music, weather reports, and setting appointments. Google has expanded some of that functionality today to better help our daily lives, but two in particular stick out.

Find even an iPhone

You can now use Google Assistant to find your iPhone. Google claims this is already one of the most used features of Nest Hubs and smart displays for relocating misplaced Android devices, but the company has now expanded this feature to iPhone users as well.

This is accomplished by opting into the new notifications and critical alerts setting of the Google Home app on iOS. Once enabled, you can ping your phone to activate a notification and sound alert to help find that missing iPhone in the couch cushion. Even if you have the iPhone on Do Not Disturb the Google Home app will still push this tone to the phone.

Hey Google, order tacos

The second feature that Google announced today is that online takeout orders just got a speed boost thanks to Google Assistant by way of Duplex. While this one is a little more roundabout than the calling feature to get your haircut that Google unveiled a few years ago, it does use personal data and AI to complete an online order with fewer steps from you.

When searching for restaurants inside the Google Android app, if the “Order Online” or “Order Pickup” buttons are available then this feature may be an option. For participating locations Duplex will navigate the site and use any saved contact and payment details you have in Chrome Autofill to complete your order once you’ve selected to checkout.

But wait there’s more

Google has also been hard at work to make Routines simpler and more visible to users. You can now ask the Assistant for helpful hints and tutorials on how to set up Routines. The Google Assistant app now features a “Ready Made Routines” section for users to browse some of the more popular options that can be utilized.

Lastly, you can also use Google Assistant for the upcoming Oscars Awards. You can ask queries such as the Best Film Nominee or even past winners. This one is a bit campy but also feels very Google.