Google has added another feature to its voice assistant in an unannounced update which allows you to open Google Duo – the video calling app – with a voice command.
Google Assistant has been widely used for voice searches by people across countries and its feature set is only getting enhanced by the day.
So, how does Google Assistant let you make video calls via Google Duo? Give a command to Google Assistant to make a video call to any of your contacts, and it will automatically switch to Duo to perform the task.
Follow these steps to ask Google Assistant to make a video call from your phone:
- Switch on Google Assistant, either from the Menu (the Google app) or just say "Okay Google".
- You can either type your command or say it in your phone's microphone – “video call *contact name*”
- You will see an answer card and Google Duo will immediately open
The Assistant will use Hangouts if you don’t have the Duo app on your phone.
However, if you have not activated Google Duo on your Android device, you need to set that up as well. The Duo app is standard on almost all Android smartphones now.
Here's how to set up Duo:
- Upon opening, Duo will ask you to verify your phone number.
- Enter your number and Google will send you an OTP to confirm the account.
- Enter the OTP in the space provided.
- It will ask your permission to access your contacts and camera. Allow both and you are good to go.
The settings tab on Google Assistant now also shows a renamed Voice and Video call section where you can link your Google Duo account with the Assistant manually.
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