Google Assistant is already built into a plethora of smart home entertainment devices, including the best soundbar of 2020, the Sonos Arc – and the voice assistant could be coming to even more devices very soon.
Google has announced (opens in new tab) that it will openly allow developers to connect to Google Assistant as part of a new push to increase support for smart home entertainment devices.
The announcement comes ahead of Google's smart home event on July 8, where we're hoping that we'll hear about the rumored Google Nest Home (or Google Home 2, if your prefer) and perhaps the Chromecast Ultra 2.
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The smart home devices in the announcement include AV receivers, streaming boxes, streaming sticks, soundbars, and wireless speakers.
While many of these devices do already come with support for Google Assistant, this is the first time that the tech giant is making the documentation public, allowing more smart home brands to integrate the voice assistant into their products.
Competition for Alexa Skills
It's a move that echoes (no pun intended) the way that Amazon has opened up Alexa Skills, not only to big brands, but to individuals as well, via its Blueprints program.
This means that a huge number of smart home devices can be controlled using an Amazon Echo speaker – and Google's latest announcement could mean a battle over third-party developers could be on the horizon.
In any case, it should give consumers greater choice when it comes to which voice assistant and smart home ecosystem they want to use with their devices.
Via 9to5 Google (opens in new tab)
