Opinion: Assistant 'quick phrases' feature shouldn't be limited to Google devices

Google’s hardware products are available in a very limited capacity, both in terms of unit count and geographical reach. The most recent Pixel 7, for instance, can only be officially purchased from 18 countries globally.

In comparison, the search giant is nowhere close to the tens of markets that rivals like Samsung and Apple command. And I don’t expect this to change anytime soon.

What I’m looking forward to, though, is how Google intends to handle the exclusivities that have been placed on some software features that power various Google devices.

Google One has emerged as the platform to give users of non-Google products access to some of the features that were exclusive to company products.

Recently, we saw Google expand support for its VPN and Magic Eraser to other Android and iOS users through this subscription-based service.

It’s also expected that more Pixel-exclusive features will become available to non-Pixel users through this program in future. But as you may have guessed, Google doesn’t give prior details of what features to expect.

There are features such as Call Screen and Now Playing that I’d like to see remain exclusive to Pixel phones — after all, they make the brand stand out in the crowded smartphone market.

But there are also others I strongly feel should break the barriers of Google products. Given how universal Google Assistant has become, Google should be looking to avail as many of its features as possible to all users.

The company often claims some functions rely heavily on the in-house chipset and custom software powering Google products. But we recently saw the likes of Magic Eraser breaking this walled garden through a subscription fee.

I honestly wouldn’t want Google Assistant quick phrases to be part of any Google One plan, especially since the virtual assistant is now available on virtually all major platforms.

In fact, it’s time Google expands support for Assistant quick phrases beyond the few Pixel and Nest devices. For the uninitiated, the feature arrived with the Pixel 6 series and is available for newer models as well.

With quick phrases, you can easily get Assistant to do certain things without first saying “Hey Google”.

For instance, during an incoming call, you don’t have to say “Hey Google” before giving the command. Instead, you simply say “Answer”, “Decline”, or “Silence” and Assistant will do as required.

This also goes for alarms and timers, where you simply say “Stop” or “Snooze” to silence the alarm/timer without the need for the usual hot word.

But for whatever reason, quick phrases only work on Google Pixel 6 and newer phones as well as with the Nest Hub Max.

I have somehow been able to use them on my Nest Mini with alarms and reminders, but the option to properly enable or disable the function is still missing from my Xiaomi Mi 10 smartphone, as seen in the screenshot below.

Google hasn’t provided any official explanation as to why Assistant is missing support for quick phrases on older Pixels and other non-Google products.

Sure, it may be a USP for newer Pixels and the Nest Hub Max, but Assistant isn’t limited to these devices. It’s available universally across Android, so the least Google could do is make some basic features available to all.

No doubt Quick Phrases can easily fly under the radar given how small of a function it may seem, but it can come in handy in quite a number of different circumstances.

And if Google Assistant has been made available on multiple platforms, I’d like to see such a handy tool come to as many devices as possible, unless some special hardware is required — which I highly doubt.

It will be interesting to know your thoughts in the comments and through the poll below, so be sure to take part.

Featured image: Google Store

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