Google Assistant routines are coming to Android TV.
Google has yet to confirm when exactly, but has confirmed the feature will be coming soon.
With routines available, Android TV users will be able to issue more commands while saying less.
What are Google Assistant routines?
Google Assistant routines have been around for some time now. They act as an easy way to tell Assistant to do multiple things by only telling Assistant one thing.
For example, you can say to Google Assistant “Good morning” and Assistant will automatically know to do multiple things. These things might include taking your phone off silent, telling you about the weather, turning on lights, advising of the commute to work, and so on.
Up until now, routines have only been available on select devices, including smartphones, displays and speakers.
Routines coming soon to Android TV
Google confirmed the new routines support in a wider blog posting that looked to highlight some of the benefits of Android TV. The posting came with a specific focus on the fact we’re now entering the colder seasons of the year.
As part of that announcement, Google explained it has surveyed people on their TV habits and desires. One of the results of that survey was 79 percent “want to connect their smart home with their TV so they could control their home from the big screen.”
Enter routines support on Android TV. In a similar way to how routines work on other devices, Android TV device owners will be able to issue a command to Google assistant and have multiple actions completed. As an example, Google highlighted a “showtime” routine that can dim the lights, draw the curtains, and start a movie.
Google did not confirm when the routines support would go live, but did say it’s “coming soon.”
Google making the case more for Assistant than for Android TV
Most of the Google announcement was focused on Assistant and that’s a big indicator of Google’s direction for Android TV in general.
Besides the routines support, Google also talked about many of the ways in which Assistant can enrich the Android TV experience.
For example, using Google Assistant for quicker content discovery and/or adding items to your shopping list.
If you hadn’t got the message already, Google doesn’t want Android TV to just be a TV content product, but a smart hub for the entire home.
As does pretty much every other major video platform provider.