App code hints Google Assistant is finally on its way to Chromebooks

It was always a pretty safe bet that Google would eventually get around to adding Google Assistant to its Chromebook devices, but new code hidden away in the Google Home app for Android suggests the integration will be happening sooner rather than later.

Inside the Home app there's a list of devices that Google Assistant works with, and as well as Android and iOS phones, plus Google Home itself and the Allo app, we now have Chromebooks listed, together with a Chromebook icon.

With no official word from Google yet we'll have to wait and see when the smart app makes its way to Google-powered laptops, but an educated guess would be next Wednesday - that's when Google is expected to show off its brand new Pixelbook.

A long time coming

There's still some debate about whether the Pixelbook is actually a Chromebook or a Chrome OS and Android hybrid, but whatever the truth of the matter, Google is definitely holding a hardware event on October 4 that would be the perfect opportunity to announce some Google Assistant updates.

Rumors have been floating around about Google Assistant making it to Chromebooks for some time of course. Given how much promotion the company has given Assistant, it will no doubt make it into all of Google's products eventually, including the Chrome browser.

With the Google Home app now prepped for Assistant on Chromebooks, it shouldn't be too much longer before Google makes the integration official, though it might not roll out to all models right away. As always, we'll keep you posted on developments.

Via 9to5Google

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.