Google Assistant rolls out 'routines' and plans deeper integration with hardware - and even telcos

Google Assistant is rolling out its ‘routines’ feature and plans to embed itself deeper into devices — even integrating directly with telcos. First announced back in October, the routines feature allows several commands to be linked together from a single phrase. For example, saying “Hey Google, I’m home” may switch on your lights, play some music, set a comfortable temperature, and get the kettle boiling. The virtual assistant integrates with a wide range of IoT devices today for specific actions such as turning on your Hue lights. Google will soon integrate with the specific hardware of a device so a user could say “Hey Google, open my camera’s portrait mode” for smartphones with the feature.