A list of many new languages that are coming to Google Assistant leaked online earlier today, having been obtained from the latest beta version of the app’s APK file modified by XDA Developers. The majority of the new languages are Asian, though several western ones are also coming soon, including Polish, as per the same source. The full list can be seen in the gallery below, though there are currently no indications of when exactly Google might push out the new functionality on a global level. The company’s established product practices suggest it will first be looking to beta-test the languages before opting for a worldwide launch but no reports of such testing already being live have yet emerged.
Background: First introduced as a timed exclusive of the original Pixel flagships in late 2016, Google Assistant launched globally at Mobile World Congress in early 2017. This year’s edition of the Barcelona, Spain-based trade show saw Google expand the digital companion’s capabilities to several new languages, bringing its list of supported languages to 15. Around the same time, Alphabet’s subsidiary announced plans to have its artificial intelligence service support 30 languages by the end of this year but hasn’t provided many details on the matter until now. The latest findings suggest the next language wave will be largely focused on Asia, though it’s presently unclear whether that strategy will continue in the long term. In the west, Google Assistant is already compatible with many of the most popular languages – English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Russian, etc.
What many consider to be the world’s most intelligent voice assistant also already supports Korean and Japanese and while Google now appears to be ramping up its focus on Asia, it isn’t expected to start supporting Chinese anytime soon, primarily due to the fact that almost every single one of its services is blocked in the Far Eastern country. It remains to be seen whether the incoming Google Assistant languages will be compatible with the tool’s bilingual capabilities that are presently heavily limited and only work with half a dozen languages – English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Japanese.
Impact: The continuation of Google’s efforts to add more languages to Google Assistant’s support list indicates the firm is still looking for growth opportunities in the segment, in addition to pursuing ways in which it could make interactions with its AI tools more natural. Given how the company already vowed to have its AI service support over 30 languages by the end of the year, the newly discovered ones are bound to be officially announced in a matter of weeks, assuming the technology juggernaut is sticking with its original timeline. Though the company often beta-tests new mobile functionalities on its Pixel devices, it isn’t expected to do so this time around seeing how its first-party series of Android flagships is a rare sight in Asia and the majority of the new languages are targeting Asian markets. The incoming additions should span all versions of Google Assistant, including those for Android smartphones, tablets, Wear OS wearables, and smart speakers.
