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Google Now Lets Developers Write Apps For the Assistant On Google Home (techcrunch.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the OK-Google dept.

Google today announced it will open up Home to third-party developers, allowing all developers to start bringing their applications and services to the Google Assistant. Developers can start building "conversation actions" for the Google Assistant, which "allows developers to create back-and-forth conversations with users through the Assistant," writes Frederic Lardinois via TechCrunch. "Users can simply start these conversations by using a phrase like 'OK Google, talk to Eliza.'" TechCrunch reports: While the Assistant also runs on the Pixel phones and inside the Allo chat app, Google says it plans to bring actions to these other "Assistant surfaces" in the future, but it's unclear when exactly this will happen. To help developers who want to build these new Conversation Actions get started, Google has teamed up with a number of partners, including API.AI, GupShup, DashBot and VoiceLabs, Assist, Notify.IO, Witlingo and Spoken Layer. Google has also allowed a small number of partners to enable their apps on Google Home already. These integrations will roll out as early as next week. Given that users will be able to invoke these new actions with a simple command (and without having to first enable a skill, like on Alexa), Google's platform looks to be a rather accessible and low-friction way for developers to get their voice-enabled services to users. Google will have the final say over which actions will be enabled on Google Home.

1 of 39 comments (clear)

  1. Little late now by bongey · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Google just screwed up on Google Home. Amazon echo had SDK access from the get go, not months after launch.
    Here are some more items:
    1) Walled garden approach, no one except a few companies had ability to integrate before launch.
    2)Stupid Android/iOS App only for configuration and setup. Echo has both App and web interface.
    3) Me too , late to the game, the Echo was release in Nov 2014.
    4)No bluetooth or stereo jack.
    5) Home automation support is current limited to 3 official products, good thing there is Hue Bridge, otherwise my 60 or so smart home devices wouldn't work.
    5) Google Home sucks for name, a few weeks ago searching for anything Google Home brought you articles about the Google Homepage.

    The only good thing it has going for it is the speech is better than Amazon by slight margin and it is bit quicker than the Echo.
    Hoping Google turns it around a bit.