IFTTT (If This, Then That) integration now offers new features for Google Assistant users to manage existing commands or make new ones easily. The new IFTTT enhancement covers a number of additional features, including the “applets-making” service. The IFTTT application was first added to the Google Assistant back in October to enhance the voice command functionality of the Google Home and Pixel devices. One of the notable features included with the new update is the “Teach your Assistant” option that allows users to make and manage commands highlighted under “Say something” and “Do something” preferences. While these key features are integrated into the Google Assistant itself, users will also be able to access the more complicated ones through the IFTTT mobile application. Apart from the aforementioned features, Assistant users can also access their existing applets that show up automatically in the form of a list.
To create a command or an applet, users will just have to click either the “Say something” or “Do something” command. This further prompts them to add in a command for the Assistant to perform a particular action, which can be accessed through the “OK Google” command. Initial reports on the functionality indicate that the “Say Something” option is meant mostly for basic queries that users can ask by saying “OK Google,” while “Do Something” is for more complex action such as playing a music file. The created commands or applets are automatically saved within the assistant and listed with the existing ones.
Google I/O 2017 introduced a number of new services, many of which were aimed at improving the user experience of the Google Assistant. As witnessed at the conference, the focus on machine learning and artificial intelligence technology through the Google Assistant will be ramping up in the future, while the ecosystem itself will continue expanding. The Google Assistant has now reached iOS users who can download Google’s AI helper on newer Apple-made devices. The Mountain View-based tech giant is expected to continue adding new functionalities to the Google Assistant in the future, and an update on its efforts to do so will likely follow later this year.
