Samsung has revealed the Google Assistant has arrived on a selection of its 2020 Smart TVs.
In a support post, Samsung says the helpful voice assistant is now available on the 2020 8K and 4K QLED TVs, 2020 Crystal UHD TVs, 2020 Frame and Serif TVs, 2020 Sero and Terrace TVs.
Once activated, TV owners will be able to use the mic button on their remote control to begin using the ‘Hey, Google’ prompt to find action movies, get weather updates, control smart home devices, check the calendar, surface photos or content from YouTube.
All owners of the compatible sets have to do is download the Google Assistant app from their requisite App Store (it’s built-in on Android). Then it’s a case of heading to Settings > General on the TV set before choosing Select Voice, and then selecting Voice Assistant.
If the TV has the latest firmware installed, you’ll see the option to select Google Assistant as your voice assistant. There are a few permissions screens to navigate, but then you should be good to go.
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From here, Samsung explains the phone and TV need to be on the same Wi-Fi network before opening the Google Assistant app. Users can ask the app to “set up my Assistant device,” and use the TV remote to enter the pairing code displayed on the phone. There’ll be a few more permission prompts at this stage.
What this says about the future of Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant, currently powering the voice experience, remains to be seen. The homegrown rival to the Google Assistant, Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa has struggled to gain traction in the market.
Samsung doesn’t say if and when the feature will trickle down to earlier televisions, but we’d expect the Google Assistant to arrive sooner rather than later. We’d also count on it being a standard feature on Samsung’s 2021 TVs and beyond.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
