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Google Assistant is coming to Android TV

Google Assistant is coming to Android TV

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Another place to take on Siri and Alexa

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Google is bringing its Siri and Alexa rival, Google Assistant, to TV screens. The company just announced that Google Assistant will be coming to supported televisions and set-top boxes running Android TV “in the coming months.”

At a minimum, devices will need to be running Android 6.0 Marshmallow to receive the Assistant feature. Google has already named some hardware that will be getting Google Assistant.

They are:

  • AirTV Player
  • All Android TV televisions in the United States on Android 6.0 or Android 7.0 (including Sony Bravia and Sharp Aquos lines)
  • Nvidia Shield
  • Xiaomi Mi Box

According to Google, the Nvidia Shield will be the first of all these devices to offer “a hands-free Assistant experience,” meaning you can just call out “OK Google” to activate the feature. The implementation of Google Assistant could vary; in some cases you’ll probably need a voice remote to use it.

Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa are already part of each company’s respective streaming box. If you’ve got a Google Home and Chromecast, you’ve essentially already got this functionality between the two. But by integrating Assistant directly into Android TV, Google’s getting rid of any extra hardware requirements for people who might already own these gadgets.