Google Assistant now lets you broadcast messages across all your Home speakers

[midian182]

Google Assistant has received an update that allows users to broadcast their voice to any room in a house containing an Assistant-enabled smart speaker. The feature was announced during Google’s hardware event last month, and now it’s officially rolling out.

The broadcast function lets people send out their voice using either their smartphone or another Google Home device. You can broadcast custom messages, or have the Assistant announce automated “playful messages” and sounds. Saying “Ok Google, broadcast it’s dinner time” will, for example, play a dinner bell through all the connected speakers. You could also say “Ok Google, broadcast/shout/tell/announce…” then add your own message.

All devices must be signed onto the same Wi-Fi network, and at least one member of the household has to be signed in to each of the Google Home speakers. They should be updated to firmware version 1.26.9393 and have Do Not Disturb turned off.

As long as you’re signed into the same Google account on your phone, it’s possible to broadcast to the speakers remotely, letting you inform the entire household that you’ve left the grocery store and are on the way home.

Unlike Amazon’s family of Echo speakers, the broadcast feature is a one-way system, meaning it can’t be used as a two-way home intercom. But Google could add this functionality in a future update.

Broadcasting is now available to Assistant on phones and speakers with English language settings in the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Google said that more languages will be added soon.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/71871-google-assistant-now-you-broadcast-messages-across-all.html

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Well that's about as much use to me as an ejector seat in a helicopter.

 

[Uncle Al]

AND, like any speaker, it can easily be turned into a microphone as well .... Ma Bell did that for decades with our telephones so the FBI could do a warrant-less phone tap. And let's not forget they could initiate the phone even when it was still in the cradle, supposedly "hung up" .....

 

[NightAngel79]

Well that's about as much use to me as an ejector seat in a helicopter.

Cool story?

 

[NightAngel79]

AND, like any speaker, it can easily be turned into a microphone as well .... Ma Bell did that for decades with our telephones so the FBI could do a warrant-less phone tap. And let's not forget they could initiate the phone even when it was still in the cradle, supposedly "hung up" .....

There is a $20 tin foil hat accessory that should go nicely with this

 

[DelJo63]

AND, like any speaker, it can easily be turned into a microphone as well .... Ma Bell did that for decades with our telephones so the FBI could do a warrant-less phone tap. And let's not forget they could initiate the phone even when it was still in the cradle, supposedly "hung up" .....

With a true 'voice coil' that's trivial and correct, but it needs to be switched from the output to the input circuit AND with modern mics+circuits, it would have to be a wired design feature.

But OMG; letting Jr get a hold of this?? So now we text throughout the house ...

 

[Reehahs]

This will be fun prank to pull on the guests with hidden speakers, a bit like Big Brother/Boss-esque.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Cool story?

No sweat...