Google Now behind Lately began to resemble a formidable "beast". The service, which started out as a simple way to search for information on Google, is now becoming a one-stop organizing hub for Android. After analyzing the situation, we came to the conclusion that many people do not use all the features of Google Now that it has. Below we publish 13 best advice and tricks for Google Now to make this digital assistant do all the work for your weary fingers.

Before you get started with Google Now, make sure you complete it correct setting. First of all, you need this service to learn to recognize your OK Google command from anywhere on the display by pressing the hamburger menu icon in google app. Next, follow the scheme "Settings> Voice> OK Google Recognition". Here you have to move all the sliders to the right.

Once you've done that, you'll be prompted to teach OK Google to recognize your voice. To do this, you will need to say the phrase OK Google three times.

Next, in the settings, open the “Voice” subsection, and in it find the item “Offline speech recognition”. Here, check that it contains all the languages ​​​​that you may need. This way you can use OK Google commands that don't require an internet connection while offline.

If you trust Google enough to give it access to your location data, then you will have some cool features in Google Now. In order to allow Google to use the above data, in the Google app, open the "Settings" section, select "Location" and turn it on. After that, at the bottom of the same page, find the item "Google Location History" and also activate it.

While in the Google app, click on the Hamburger menu icon and then select Customize. Here you can enter your home and work addresses, which can be used to set reminders and get information about your route. You can also enter your favorite sports teams, modes of transport you use and more to get visual and useful maps.

Learn all OK Google voice commands

OK Google in Google Now has hundreds of voice commands that you can use to achieve a variety of goals. The more of these commands you know, the more value you can get from Google Now.

Add more voice commands

If you downloaded the Commandr app from the Play Store, then you have the option to add a number of additional commands to Google Now. Such commands will allow you to control the smartphone's flash, clear notifications, or take a selfie with the camera. Plus, you can set custom voice commands for each feature. Note that Commandr also includes integration for the Tasker application, which allows you to turn Google Now into an automated useful tool.

Use location-based reminders

If you must remember that you need to do something in a certain place, but you do not know when exactly you will be there, you can enlist the help of Google to remind you if it determines that you have already arrived at the place you need . This can be very useful for situations where you need to buy something from the store when you arrive, or turn on the oven when you enter your home.

Let Google Now help you organize your trips

If you use Google Calendar, Google Now will provide you with maps and notifications that will let you know in advance when you need to leave one place in order to get to another on time. Such notifications can even inform you about traffic conditions, which will help you to be a more punctual and efficient person. Make sure that you have the preferred transport mode activated (“Settings> Transport”) and then in the settings open the “Now maps” section, then activate the “Route and departure time” item.

Track packages and flights with Google Now

If you receive flight notifications and tracking information postal items to your Google account, which is associated with your Google Now service, such email notifications will be used to provide maps that allow you to track packages and regularly update your flight status.

Ask additional questions

Google Now understands very well the meaning of the questions you ask it. For example, if you asked “What is the area of ​​California?”, then you can also ask an additional question, such as “How many people live here?”, and Google will perfectly understand that the word “here” refers specifically to the word “California”.

Launch apps with your voice

Google Now can be hands-free without problems, so why would you keep opening apps with your fingers? Just say "Open (app name)" and Google will do it for you!

Establish relationships

Google can remember which contact is your mother, father, sister, or brother. Just say "Oscar is my father" and Google will take care of the rest. If you have more than one Oscars in your contact list, you will need to confirm the correct entry and then select the "Add Nickname" option. Once you've done this, you'll have access to new commands, such as "Call my mother" or "Send a letter to my father."

Shazam replacement

Google Now will easily replace Shazam app For you. All you have to do is ask "What song is playing?" and you'll get the right answer right away.

Use punctuation and emoticons

The messages you send using Google Now don't have to look like a bunch of jumbled words. You can easily add punctuation marks by saying the words "dot" or "comma", as well as add various emoticon icons using voice commands, such as "sad face".

Set up Google Now to work with multiple languages

If you are traveling to another country, or if you speak a foreign language, then you need to set up Google Now to recognize multiple languages. This will avoid the frustration that the above service will not be able to recognize the street names you give it and end up with meaningless gibberish. All you need to do is click on the menu icon "Hamburger" in the application, then in the settings open "Voice" and select "Languages", and then select the options you need in it.

Disable Google Now

If, after all that we have indicated, you still do not see the point in using the Google Now service in your daily life, then you can deactivate it: click on the hamburger icon, then in the settings select the "Now maps" item and move the slider left to disable. Here you can also delete your preferences if you are sure that you no longer need them.

Have you used our tips and tricks for Google Now yet? What steps do you take to make this service work perfectly? Tell us about it in the comments.

Looking through the next push notifications about available updates, quite accidentally opened the Google Now application, looked at the description on the market, and decided to pick this curiosity. For the first half hour, I kept walking around the apartment without ceasing to repeat “Ok Google, how did Rostov play?”, “Ok Google, what is the weather forecast for tomorrow?”, “Ok Google, wake me up tomorrow at 8 am ”, etc. My Nexus 7 perfectly understood me, despite the fact that sometimes for the test I sometimes slightly distorted the trigger phrase “OK Google”.

How to use Google now

Now it’s worth talking about all the possible Google Now commands in Russian, and their list is quite extensive:

1) Work and organization of time

Function	Description
Setting a reminder	Create reminders in by choosing a place and time.	Remind me to call Ivan at 6:00 pm. Remind me to buy paper towels at Crossroads.
Setting an alarm	Set the alarm in special applications.	Set an alarm for 6:00.
Create an event	Create calendar events on your device.	Calendar: dinner in St. Petersburg on Saturday at 19:00.
Schedule check	Check your device's calendar for events and learn about upcoming flights or hotel rooms booked through Gmail, for example.	What is planned for tomorrow? When is the next meeting?
Package Tracking	Track the status of orders if their confirmation has arrived at your address Email gmail.	Where is my parcel?
Notes	Send yourself emails and take notes on an Android app like Google Keep or Evernote.	Note: buy milk.
Going to websites	Open websites in the browser by their names or URLs.	Go to Google.com.
Application launch	Run regularly used or just downloaded from Google Play applications.	Open Gmail.
Taking a photo or video	Launch the Camera app to take photos and videos.	To take a photo. Record video.

2) Communication

Function	Description
Phone calls	Call by calling people by their first name or relationship, such as "mom" or "dad."	Call Georgy Ivanov. Call mom's cell phone.
Text messages	Send SMS, calling subscribers by name or degree of relationship, such as "mom" or "dad".	SMS, Sergey: "I'm 5 minutes late."
Email	Send email messages with names or addresses.	send electronic message to whom: Ivan Petrov, subject: new shoes, message: I want to show you my new shoes, period.
	Listen to messages sent to your voicemail.	Listen to messages.
Contact Information	Find phone numbers, email addresses, birthdays, and email addresses of contacts on your device.	Dimitri's phone number. When is Mary's birthday?

3) Entertainment

Function	Description
Music playback	Listen to tracks in the Google Play Music app.	Listen: "Black Dog Petersburg". Play: Aquarium.
Definition of songs	Find out the titles and performers of the songs you play.	What song is this?
Song Lists	Search music by artist name.	What songs does Zemfira sing?
Radio	Listen to the radio "I'm lucky!" in Google Play Music if you follow Full access.	Listen to music.
Watching films	Watch movies purchased from Google Play.	Watch Toy Story.
TV prompt	Find out about the TV show you are viewing.	Show hint for TV.
Reading books	Read books purchased from Google Play.
Famous people		How old is Brad Pitt?
Sport	Find out the score of the game, as well as the dates of the next matches of your favorite team.	Did Spartak win today? What score did Zenit play with?
Movie search	Check out the show schedules of the nearest cinemas.	What movies are on tonight? In which theaters is the movie "Noah" shown?

4) Travel

Function	Description
Turn by turn navigation	Use turn-by-turn navigation to easily reach your destination.	Navigation, Manezhnaya Square, Moscow.
Routes	Find out how best to get to the right place, home or work; you can also choose the mode of transport.	Routes: St. Petersburg, Nevsky prospect, 50. Routes: home by public transport.
Place search	Find addresses of places you want to visit.	Find the Eiffel Tower. Where is the Hermitage located?
Search for local companies
Exploring the menu	Check out the restaurant menu in advance.	Show the menu of the restaurant "Parus".
Call to the company	Call any establishments such as restaurants, shops or hotels.	Call: hotel "Metropol".
Travel plans	Find out information about flights or hotel rooms if you receive a booking confirmation in Gmail.	Show my flights. Where is my hotel?
Travel planning	Find out which places to visit while traveling.	Top attractions in New York.

5) Useful information

Function	Description	Command
Time	Find out the time anywhere in the world.	What time is it in Petrozavodsk?
Weather	Find out the weather in your city or place where you are going to go.	Do you need an umbrella today? Weather forecast for Perm for the weekend.
Famous people	Find out information about famous people that interests you.	Where was Albert Einstein born? How old is Brad Pitt?
Search for local companies	Find nearby establishments and organizations quickly and easily.	Where is the nearest grocery store?
Tip calculation	Calculate restaurant tips using Google.	How much tip from 1300 rubles?
Translation	Learn how words and phrases are translated.	How do you say "hello" in Spanish?
Dictionary	Learn the meanings of words.	What does "onomatopoeia" mean?
Finance	Follow the stock price.	What is the Google stock price? How much are Twitter shares worth?
Conversion	Convert currency, volume, weight, etc. to other units.	How much will 200 euros be in rubles?
Mathematical calculations	Solve math problems.	What is the square root of 2209?
Developments	Get information about events such as upcoming holidays or natural events.	What time is sunset today?
Images	Look for photos.	Show photos of Baikal.

Information on commands is taken from the official page about voice control in Android.

How to turn Google Now on and off

To change this setting, you need to open the "Google search" application, go to the menu, and opposite the "Google Now" item, select either "on." or "off"

As far as I understand, for the most convenient operation with Google Now, it is proposed to use the Google Start launcher, which makes access to the service available by sliding the main screen to the right.

As you can see, our green robot is getting smarter from update to update, and is able to solve more and more problems, you look soon and will be able to clean the house and cook dinner 🙂

Google Now voice commands in Russian (androidmag video)

I would like to know if you use voice search What commands do you use most often?

When Google first released Google Now, it was noted Android users in all directions. However, when changes to Google Feed took place, those changes were less accepted. But News Feed is great if you just take the time to set it up.

However, before we talk about customizing your feed, let's first talk a little about what makes it different from Google Now, aside from the name. First, let's get one thing clear right away: Google Feed/Google Now is part of the Google app.

And for better or worse, Feed is an evolution of Now. It's taken the best of Now and goes one step further - that's actually what most people don't like about Feed. Instead of scheduling your appointments and other important information, Feed focuses on the latest news that you are interested in home page, but everything related to personal information has not disappeared - it's just now in a different tab in the Google app.

This is admittedly a bit confusing. If you're used to opening the Google app to see your cards in Now, but instead are presented with a variety of news that you might be interested in (or not), you'll likely want to delete it.

That's why you should spend some time on your feed, tweaking it to your liking. You can get the latest news about what you need with one click, or click one button and view important personal information.

How to access Google Feed

First, there are several ways to access your Google feed. If you're using a Pixel or Nexus device with the Pixel Launcher, then you can simply swipe all the way to the leftmost home screen and there it is, Google Feed.

However, if you are using a different device or a different launcher and the app is not built into it, then you will need to launch the Google app. If you are using Nova Launcher You can even customize the home button action on the home screen to launch Google Feed (which is still called "Google Now" in Nova).

How to set up Google Feed

Setting up Google Feed is very simple. There are several ways to do this, and we'll talk about both.

To customize the Feed in the Pixel Launcher and the Google app, open the feed and tap on the three dots in the top right corner of an article and select Customize Articles.

From the Customize Ribbon menu, you can start adding your interests. Start by clicking the "Subscribe Topics" button.

You will be taken to the category selection page: sports, TV shows, movies, musicians, etc. Click on one of them to continue.

You can view the list of suggestions and click the "+" icon in the upper right corner to add it. Do this for all articles of interest in each category! The more time you spend choosing topics of interest, the better your feed will look.

You can also add specific topics without having to dig through different categories. Just click the magnifying glass in the top right corner, then search for a topic.

When you find your topic, simply tap the + symbol to add the topic to your list of interests.

Once you're done with that, just click Done on the Interests page.

To view all the topics you are subscribed to or unsubscribe from certain topics, you can scroll through the Feed Settings page. This will give you short review all your subscriptions - just click the "Open settings" button under each category to see the details.

The options available here may vary from category to category. For example, in the category "Sports" there will be special buttons for notification, as well as best moments and much more.

Managing specific content in the feed

Because Google also uses your search history to build your feed, it will include the things you find interesting. So, let's say you're scrolling through the feed and you see news about Vladimir Putin. If you are interested in this topic and want more similar news, then click the button with three dots in the upper right corner of the card for this story, then click the "Subscribe" button.

Similarly, if you see something that you are not interested in, you can choose to hide that particular article, block a particular website, or skip articles from that particular topic altogether. This is a pretty flexible setup.

If you accidentally delete a topic from your feed or mark something as "not interesting", then you can return to the "Feed Settings" screen and then select "View All Settings" for that category. At the very bottom, what you marked as "not interesting" should be displayed - just click the "x" next to it to remove it from the list of not interesting.

The Google app itself also has some great features. The bottom navigation bar will help you: it has quick access to searches, as well as a "Recent" button where you can see your search history and everything else you've done in the Google app.

You've probably heard people say "Ok Google" and then say they want to find or find out. What can I say, almost every Android user uses this feature. It has become everyday, and on the net you can often see interesting articles on this topic, and various experiments. But what about Google Now, have you heard of this service?

The history of Google Now

The Google Now service appeared on Android 4.1, and had a fairly simple functionality. And it is not surprising because then it was still a prototype, and it was actively tested. Google Now was also awarded the Most Innovative App of the Year. In beta, he only understood English language, and could only show 10 initial answer cards.

After extensive testing and tweaking (thanks to user feedback), Google Now has become a full-fledged part of Android 4.4. New versions gradually added support for new languages, including Russian. The launch became much easier, it was enough to go to the desktop and say OK Google there. In modern models, thanks to Now support, you can say a phrase even if the phone screen is off.

How to enable Google Now

• First you need to create (if there is, then move on).
• Go to Play market and in the search we drive in Google Now, install.
• We are waiting for the installation to finish, and then turn it on from the desktop.
• When you connect for the first time, you'll be asked to say "OK Google" three times to help the assistant better understand your voice.

It's also important to know that it can be called from any application, but the feature is disabled by default. To enable it, you need to go to the application settings and find the "search settings" tab.

What can

Learn the song

Liked a song on the radio, in an ad, or in a video, but don't know the name? Then this application will definitely help you. Although the functionality is still in the testing stage, this function is already actively used in America (in Russia, Google has not yet synchronized the application with the Russian language).

Similar popular apps these are Sound Hound and Shazam. But it’s much more convenient to use one application for different tasks, right? Over time, Now will completely overtake Shazam in terms of song recognition rate.

Enable alarm

If you are too lazy to get up to set an alarm, no one bothers you to loudly say “Ok Google, set the alarm for 7:00.” Or create quick note(just take your time so that the robot can recognize all the words). It also concerns the inclusion of a stopwatch or setting a timer.

Voice call and sms

Do you drive a lot, or do your hands get dirty and you need to make a phone call? Then say “Call Natasha”, and the assistant will dial the first number from the list in order that matches your phrase (if there are several identical names, specify the last name, for example).

Sending messages (through a standard sender) works according to the same scheme. Say "Send SMS to Natasha", and then pronounce the text. After that, you can check whether the text was read and entered correctly, if anything, you can say "delete the text and write a new one."

Third Party Applications

Google Now also supports third party applications, for example: Telegram, Viber or WhatsApp. That is, you can write text by simply speaking it.

Other chips

Starting with Android 5.0, the program can turn on and off a certain number of standard system functions. This ability is not yet perfect, but is actively tested and improved with each new release.

1. Includes flashlight
2. Connects via Bluetooth
3. Connects to available network WiFi

Do you urgently need to translate a sentence, it is very long and you don’t want to type it into the translator with pens? Then dictate a phrase (if everything is not so bad with English or another language) and the assistant will correctly correct your pronunciation and display the intended translation on the screen.

self-learning

The main feature is the training of an assistant for your tasks. Even if you changed your phone, the database will retain the features of the previous work with the user. Google Now will gradually learn, collecting all your requests into a common group, so that in the future, when a similar request appears, it will give out more relevant information.

The service will match your requests even by time, remind you of notes, alarms (maybe it should be turned off on Saturday), or scheduled calendar events.

Since almost all phones use Google services, the assistant will analyze the data, so the displayed information will be individualized. If you have previously searched for matches of a specific football team, the app syncs with the Google News system and looks for something similar, telling you about new game soon.

If you also have location detection turned on, then when you go on vacation, you will immediately be shown recommended places to visit, based on the recommendations Google Maps from real people.

During the update of gadgets to Android 6.0, the Now on Tap function was added. The essence is simple: the program looks at what is now open before the user's eyes, and issues possible cards, focusing on your preferences. Convenient, right?

Also, in one phrase, display a small widget of a currency converter from local to your own (or used). If you want to know all the features of the application, just ask your assistant "Ok Google, a list of all the features of Google Now."

Is the internet and battery drained

This issue requires special attention. All functions work in background, so the battery drains a little faster, but not much. As for traffic, there are almost no problems here. Even if you have a daily limit of 100 MB, the assistant will “eat” only 20-30 MB even with the most intensive use per day.

If, nevertheless, the issue of saving Internet traffic is acute, then you can download the full language pack, but make sure that there is enough space on the device.

Voice assistants. Then we decided to put Siri, Cortana and Google Now in the same conditions. All three assistants listened and answered in English. But GN understands us anyway! It's worth looking at everything you can talk to her about. It will be about tiles, about applications, about communication. Everything that Google Now can do - the coolest voice assistant - is in Russian.

Actually, a lot of indignation over the previous text was on two issues:

• music is not recognized
• the whole comparison is garbage - Google Now supports the Russian language, it won

About the first - GN recognizes music simply: Ok Google - turn on the track - recognizes it. BUT! not on the territory of Ukraine. The video has a proof for unbelievers Fomei.

About the second. Russian language support is a definite plus. But all three assistants were written in English, so English is native and right choice to compare assistants on an equal footing. And the fact that GN speaks Russian is a huge plus and loyalty from the Russian-speaking audience. Especially for you and me, I made an overview of all the possibilities of the Russian-speaking GN. We asked more than twenty questions to the assistant, to which she answered with her voice. And of course, an overview of the available cards, which you don’t even need to ask for.

Google Now, Voice!

A list of all voice capabilities in Russian can be found on the Google website. We took his advice and asked our questions. From what Google promises us, but what didn't work for me, there are two clues. The first is understanding natural speech about the weather from the series “Wear your coat today?” or “Will I need an umbrella today?” Unfortunately, here GN did its own freezing style - threw it on the web. If this thing works for you, be sure to tell me how.

Cards

I love cards! While I was preparing the material, it turned out that the inhabitants of the cedar office also do not like the soul in an assistant. Tolik Rogalsky, in a personal comparison-use, immediately stated that Siri is not as good as Google Now. Semyon uses hints for route planning and hints on the web. And I already spoke about Sasha - he still rejoices at the reminder of where he is. I even made a screenshot for the article. But then I lost it somewhere, so here's a picture from the Internet of how it looks.

One of the main jokes of GN is that even if you do not know about the existence of an assistant, he remembers you and collects information. Even if you have not used it before, and now, while reading metaril, pull the button home screen up to call up google know, there's probably a weather card, cards of interesting stuff picked up by reading stuff on the web, and maybe even cards for getting home or points of interest nearby.

At the same time, Google Now can be personalized. Three dots in the lower right corner will open up a whole world of clues. Here you can set what you want to see: weather, football score, information about promotions, information about a convenient route.

Moreover, you can ask your assistant completely personal information: addresses and marital status. In this case, if you say or write the command “Get a route from home to work” or “Call mom” you will be understood.

A couple more screenshots about the settings to navigate the situation. In order to be completely comfortable with Google Nau, you should check that the web history is turned on, in which Google you want to search for information, whose voice the assistant will speak (you can choose female or male) and whether you need to monitor your route in the process of movement or show your location by GPS.

In order for the selected cards to be displayed as correctly as possible and in general everything went like clockwork, you can also look into these settings and answer a couple of not tricky questions. I did this one single time a hundred years ago, it takes a couple of minutes and I don’t worry anymore.

You also have cards of your friends that are available from all synchronized devices. Contacts are pulled from Gmail, Google + and address book, but do not forget to fill in the fields so that as much information as possible is collected in one place.

It is also very convenient that all those commands that you could ask with your voice, you can ask with text. It works exactly the same. And if you didn’t ask with a voice, they didn’t answer you with a voice.

And of course, if you use Google Calendar, then you will always have scheduled reminders. In my case, so as not to forget about shooting. Notifications about meetings are being pulled up, even the alarm clock in the curtain pops up 30 minutes before an important event, he once woke me up for a weekly meeting of the site's authors on Monday morning. And a reminder notification so you don't forget to buy milk.

Output

I love Google Now! I don't even know how else to say it. My smartphone has the ability to set up Google Now on the leftmost screen. Therefore, I always have a lot of quick access useful information. The most important one always appears in the form of notifications, so I almost never miss the last metro. I am not shy about controlling my voice, so I use all the features of the assistant to the fullest. Little of! All the tips that GN has in its arsenal are synced to your Windows PC or laptop, so missed notifications, reminders or directions can pop up on the laptop screen as well. You can view them at any time using the bell in the lower right corner.

In addition to the fact that you can set information about yourself in GN, he will also pull it up from all available sources. It will be especially easy for him to cope if you do not turn off the GPS and Mobile Internet. Even if you have never heard about Google Nau and what it is, by opening it now search string you will find a lot of useful information that you will use. All cards!

And lastly, Google Now can be used not only by owners of Android smartphones or Windows desktops, but also by iPhone owners. Search in your market!

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