'Google Assistant' all set to get a new interface for smartphones

The make-over gives developers and brands new tools to utilise touchscreen within "Assistant" itself.

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San Francisco: Google has revamped its "Assistant" virtual helper with a new interface on Android devices that comes with bigger visuals, new control options and interactive messaging along with other new features. "The new design combines the best of text and talk on your phone, giving you the relevant information right when you need it. Using 'Assistant' now you can interact with images, sliders and buttons to get the help you need in a fraction of the time," Manuel Bronstein, Vice President of Product, Google Assistant, wrote in a blog-post on Wednesday. The make-over gives developers and brands new tools to utilise touchscreen within "Assistant" itself. "Starbucks now has thumbnails to select from recommended items on their menus, Food Network has larger images of their recipes, and FitStar uses GIFs to give you a preview of your workout," Bronstein added. The blog-post however, does not specify by when would the update be available for both, iOS and Android, globally. "Google Assistant" was introduced by the search-engine giant two years ago to allow users to interact with their devices using voice, touch and now, even with the combination of the two.