Google Assistant can finally assist with all your Netflix needs

A still from the new Netflix TV show Maniac
(Image credit: Netflix)

Google Assistant is building up a solid number of improvements and new features right now, along with an update to how it communicates with Netflix on Android TV.

Previously, while devices like the Google Chromecast could easily cast the online streaming service onto an Android TV television set, Google Assistant itself still struggled to offer the same action through voice commands, usually responding with 'Sorry, I can't play Netflix on Android TV yet'.

But no more. Users will now be able to use Google's voice assistant in the same way using Google Assistant compatible devices, like the Google Home smart speaker or Nvidia Shield set top box.

This only really affects those of you with an Android TV set, though the smart TV platform is widely used across many Philips, Sony, and Sharp televisions, and this new - albeit basic - feature will certainly help to round out the package.

Hey, wait up!

As news continues to trickle in about ever more advanced updates to existing AV technologies, it's easy for some more basic features to slip through the net. 

Netflix integration seems like something you'd get sorted on day one, but the ways that devices and services communicate can often be much more complicated under the hood than they seem on the surface.

Just this week in our Amazon Echo Plus 2 review, we found that the new premium smart speaker still had the occasional hiccup when passing on commands to a Fire TV stick (we watch a lot of Netflix, ok). And in some ways, you can have highly advanced products that are able to run before they can walk.

Henry St Leger

Henry is a freelance technology journalist, and former News & Features Editor for TechRadar, where he specialized in home entertainment gadgets such as TVs, projectors, soundbars, and smart speakers. Other bylines include Edge, T3, iMore, GamesRadar, NBC News, Healthline, and The Times.