How to become the master of Google’s personal assistant
Of all of Google’s many software efforts of recent times,
Google Now has to be one of the best.
Here is a tool that doesn’t just help you search for information, it
goes and fetches it for you before you even ask. In that regard, it’s
even more powerful than
Apple’s Siri.
While
Google Now is only really present in its full glory on
Android (which we’re concentrating on here), you can also get much of
its functionality on
iOS devices by downloading the regular
Google search app. You can also make use of it on a desktop computer through the Chrome web browser.
The fact that
Google Now runs of its own accord in the
background suggests that you probably use it in some capacity, but that
you probably don’t use it to the fullest.
Follow these tips and tricks and see what
Google Now can do for you.
Set your locations
Much of Google Now’s functionality relies on location, and relates to
your proximity to home and work. As such, make sure it’s set accurately
by going into the magic wand setting menu at the bottom.
Now select Places, and tap on the Home and Work fields to set them accordingly.
Let your family know about traffic problems
Turn on Commute Sharing on the map card, and your friends and family will get all your traffic warnings.
Go into the Commute sharing menu and hit the ‘Choose who can see…’
option. This will take you to Google Plus, where you need to turn
Location Sharing on. Then, hit ‘Choose people to share with’ and select
who you need to share such info with.
Finally, back in the Google Now settings menu, opt to ‘Let them see my commute updates.’
Make like Siri
Admit it, Android users. You’re slightly envious of all those smug
iPhone users talking informally to their phones, and having reminders
set accordingly.
Well, guess what? Google Now lets you do exactly the same. Just hit
the mic button, or say “OK Google,” followed by what you want. For
example, try saying “Call… (contact name)” to make calls, or ask “How do
I get to… (place name or address)?” for Google Maps directions. You can
also set reminders that take into consideration location and time by
saying something like “Remind me to… (activity) when I get home.”
Want to set a timer? Don’t fiddle around with the clock app. Just ask
Google Now to “Set a timer for five minutes (or whatever).”
Check out your holiday photos
Using that aforementioned voice-recognition system, you can pull up all of your stored photos for a specific location.
First, you need to ensure that your photos are getting auto-backed up to Google Plus. They are? Then we can begin.
So, after asking “Okay Google” (or hitting the mic), ask for it to
“show me my pictures from (location).” Hey presto! Instant
location-based images for your perusal.
Find out where you parked
Google knows where you parked. I know, right? Using your Android
phone’s accelerometer and GPS, it can detect when you’re driving and
when you’ve come to a proper stop. So it takes a pretty good stab at
sticking a virtual pin in the map where you left your automobile, and
providing you with that information through the parking card.
You can also check out previous locations you’ve parked, or get the next best guess.
Tell Google Now your favourite sports team
Google Now will keep you abreast of the latest fixtures and scores
for your favourite sports teams, but you’ll have to tell it what they
are. Just go into the settings menu, select Sports, and feed in your
team(s) of choice.
Bring up a calculator
You probably have your calculator app of choice close to hand. But if
Google Now is your quickest tool, type in Calc to bring up a calculator
within Google. Instant sum-crunching, at your fingertips!
Get Google Now to translate for you
Google Translate is a great tool for helping you get by with the
local lingo on holiday, but Google Now can help you out in a more
naturalistic way.
Just ask it “How do I say (whatever) in (choose a language),” and it’ll help you with your pronunciation. Bueno.
Let Google Now DJ for you
Signed up to Google Play Music? They you can start your “I feel
lucky” playlist going simply by telling Google Now to “Play some music.”
Google Now – great in a pub quiz
Google Now can supply you with information on the TV show you’re watching or the music you’re listening to.
For the former, make sure you’re on the same Wi-Fi network with your
phone as you are for your Smart TV (why wouldn’t you be?), and ask
Google Now to “Listen to TV.” You’ll get a bunch of programming info and
trivia.