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Hell froze over: Google Assistant is on the iPhone

Google brings Assistant over to iOS with all its powerful features. Sorry, Siri.

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Headshot of Patrick Holland
Patrick Holland Managing Editor
As Managing Editor, I lead CNET's mobile team, covering news and reviews on smartphones, wireless carriers, AI, wearables and more. I oversee the team's product testing and translate our findings into accessible recommendations. With nearly a decade of experience at CNET, I've covered Apple and the iPhone, Google and the Pixel, Samsung and the Galaxy, Motorola and the Razr, iOS vs. Android and much more. I'm passionate about storytelling (hey, former theater director and playwright here).
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  • Patrick's play The Cowboy is included in the Best American Short Plays 2011-12 anthology. He co-wrote and starred in the short film Baden Krunk that won the Best Wisconsin Short Film award at the Milwaukee Short Film Festival.
Patrick Holland
2 min read
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It's official, you can now use Assistant on the . And it looks and works pretty much just as it does on Android.

At , the company's annual developer conference, it was announced that there is now an version of Google Assistant available for the iPhone.

Famously the iPhone comes with , 's own digital assistant which may make you wonder why you'd want Google Assistant. Though Siri is built into iOS 10, Google Assistant can handle more complicated tasks and questions than Siri and do so in a very conversational style. The Google Assistant app even comes with a nifty iOS widget for quick access.

Here are some things Assistant can do on your iPhone:

    • Make quick phone calls
    • Type or ask Google Assistant queries
    • Use instead of Apple Maps
    • Send emails, SMS and iMessages
    • Set reminders and calendar events
    • Play music
    • Ask it pretty much anything you'd search on Google
    • Interact with it like you're having a conversation: "Will I need an umbrella today?"

    And here are some things Assistant can't do on the iPhone:

      • Can't be accessed from the home button
      • Saying, "OK, Google" won't work
      • Assistant can't set alarms

      All the cool stuff Google announced at I/O

      See all photos


      This is a win-win for iPhone users. You can now choose between using Siri, Google Assistant and Alexa (through the Amazon app). The iOS Google Assistant app is available now for download from the App Store. Just a heads up, the app takes up 256 megabytes and works only on iOS 9.1 and higher.

      Check out the rest of CNET's Google I/O coverage.

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