Google has tweaked the Google Assistant on smart speakers and displays like the Nest Hub, enabling users to simply say “stop” to ensure it shuts up on command.
The new command drops the need for an additional “Hey, Google…” to ensure the device pipe’s down when it’s yammering on too much for your liking.
The new feature will come in useful when the device might be reading from the web, or has already provided the information you need on traffic, weather, news and much more. It’ll also work even if you don’t have the continued conversation feature – which continues listening for additional commands after your initial response has been handled – switched on.
Effectively this means the speaker will now listen for “stop” in the same way that it listens for a wake word combo like “Hey, Google”. In a tweet from the official Google account on Tuesday, the company wrote: “Helpful new Google Assistant feature alert! Want your smart display or speaker to stop talking? Just say “stop” — no #HeyGoogle needed.”
As 9to5Google points out, the “stop” feature has been available for alarms since it was announced at Google I/O in 2019. It’s good to see this feature broadened to save us a couple of words in other circumstances.
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The update comes after a quiet year or so for Google Assistant with limited new features being added on mobile and smart home devices. Hopefully there’s more to come in 2022, as Google looks to keep pace with Amazon and Apple on the voice assistant front.
What would you like to see from the Google Assistant in 2022? Share your feature wishlist with us @trustedreviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
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.
