Beginning now, when you say “Hey Google, play me the news” to a Google Assistant equipped phone or smart speaker, you will get a tailor-made playlist of the day’s big headlines and stories.
That is apparently what many of us are expecting when we hear a news radio station or a daily news podcast while the morning commute.
But, those come from a particular broadcaster and may ask you to hop around to get all the news you are looking for.
The New Update Changes The News
In contrast, the feature that Google is asking Your News Update brings stories from a variety of publisher partners, centering on the ones that seem suitable to your interests and your location.
Audio has always been excellent, but the distribution technology has been a bit slower than text and video, which is why Google has been exploring in this area.
For example, it is already combined news stories to Google Assistant, as well as replies to news-related questions.
The company has been producing “an open specification for particular topic audio stories.”
So instead of dealing with an awkward hourlong broadcast or podcast, Google Assistant is running clips centered on a particular piece of news.
Your News Update starts typically with a few small, general interest clips, particularly the big headlines of the day.
Then it begins playing longer stories that are chosen based on what Google knows regarding you.
There is significant importance on local news in this product that doesn’t just indicate where you live, but also different locations you care about.
And the usual update will be about an hour and a half, so it can keep you engaged during a long commute, no dial-fiddling needed.
In the Words of John Ciancutti
John Ciancutti, the director of engineering for search, suggested that Your News Update could convert more sensitive to context, giving several stories depending on whether you are in your car or your kitchen.
He further said that you could assume in the future, you tune in your car on Tuesday morning at 7:36, and they can foretell based on others listening that you have got around a 28-minute commute.
Your News Update is presently available in English in the United States, with projects for an international extension next year.
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