Today, the only way to gain access to the super smart and quirky ‘Google Assistant’ across your smartphone is through a Pixel device. But, it is expected to change in the coming months. The Assistant is planning to extend its root beyond the exclusive Google moniker and make an appearance on other third-party devices as well.
Fresh reports from BusinessKorea are now suggesting that the Google Assistant is making its way to LG’s upcoming flagship device — the G6. If this development comes to be true then LG would be the very first OEM to include the company’s exclusive smarts into its smartphones. It will further rekindle the partnership between Google and LG, who’ve previously worked together on the Nexus lineup.
But, this would be one of the most surprising developments of 2017. During the release of Assistant, Google couldn’t stress the exclusivity of the feature enough. And now, the tech behemoth is ready to give up on the same for a currently unknown reason. If the company decides to let loose its grips on the Google Assistant with the said LG integration then it would mean the end of exclusivity. Other Android OEMs would also rush in to secure their rights to the intelligent voice assistant in the near future.
LG is, however, not stopping at just the inclusion of Google Assistant. It is looking to completely embrace the popularity of voice assistants and further increase the valuable offerings from its flagship. Thus, the Korean giant is also said to be in talks with Amazon to integrate their assistant ‘Alexa’ into the G6 as well.
The company has already unveiled an Alexa-powered refrigerator to confirm its partnership with the e-commerce behemoth. And it is most likely working on the integration of the voice assistant in more of its smart home devices. It has recently also detailed that it would release a smartwatch with Android Wear 2.0 and integrated voice assistant support. Next come, smartphones, that’ll only see Alexa being integrated into them if LG fails to secure rights to Google Assistant.
LG plans to take the wraps of its ‘non-modular’ flagship smartphone at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The Korean giant has already sent out press invites for a ‘See More. Play More’ event on February 26. So, we’ll be coming face to face with G6 on the said date. Till then, stay tuned for more rumors and updates.
