14 DAY TRIAL // When Google announced Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones with Google Assistant AI on board, many wondered when and if the virtual assistant will make its way to Nexus smartphones. A few months later, we’re hearing rumors that Google Assistant might arrive to some Nexus phones soon.
The only smartphones that have Google Assistant integration are the Pixel and Pixel XL, while the virtual assistant powers Google’s Home device and can be found in a slightly different version in Google’s Allo app.
Google Assistant is the search giant’s competitor to multiple other AI assistants available on the market, including Window’s Cortana, Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa, which is seeing integration on Huawei smartphones and various applications.
A major update will arrive soon for Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X smartphones, bringing Google Assistant, which is based on Google Now with expanded Ok Google features. Stephen Hall, senior editor at 9to5Google stated on Twitter that Google would bring Assistant in the next “major” update.
This would mean that the virtual AI might not arrive in the beta Android 7.1.2 release for Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X, which recently rolled out to Pixel devices, but not these two phones. Google Assistant could possibly arrive with Android 8 later this year, certainly a long wait until then.
Nexus Player might also receive the new feature
Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X might not be the only devices to receive Google Assistant, as Google’s Android TV director Sascha Prüter has recently stated on Google+ that the virtual assistant might make its way to the Nexus Player, but it’s unknown when.
Those who aren’t keen on buying Pixel smartphones just to get access to Google Assistant could wait until the LG G6 is launched. Rumors say that LG’s upcoming flagship could integrate Google Assistant, making it the first non-Pixel smartphone to have such a feature. LG is also said to be working with Amazon on incorporating Alexa in some of its other products.