We're all getting woke about tech
Google looks set to roll out a suite Digital Wellbeing features to Google Assistant and thus its Home speaker range, as the company aims to make its voice assistant more family-friendly.
Digital Wellbeing was a big part of the company’s I/O announcements earlier this year, but it seems that Assistant is now set to become a bit more digitally responsible.
Changes to the app spotted by 9to5Google seems to show a range of new and revamped features coming to Google Assistant. These include search filters and ‘Downtime’, which means access to features can be managed at particular times of the day. What’s more, thanks to Google Assistant’s ability to voice match, this means that restrictions for particular members of the family.
We’re having something of a great digital awakening – and tech companies are realizing that our always on lifestyles aren’t always positive. And Google isn’t alone.
The Amazon Echo Dot Kids Edition and the FreeTime service seemed to be an admission that access to always-on voice assistants need to be controlled. Apple is making screen time a big part of its iOS 12 update, offering stats on how much time you’re spending on social networks.
While the benefit of voice assistants is getting information away from a screen, they can still be addictive for children, and devices like the Google Assistant Smart Display mean that screens are creeping back into the voice assistant world.