Andrew Heinzman
After spending so much time indoors, it may be hard for families to build new routines for the 2021 to 2022 school year. That’s why Google is rolling out a slew of new features for Nest Hub and Google Assistant, including a major update to the popular Family Bell reminder tool.
Google’s Family Bell reminds you and your family to finish important tasks throughout the week, like watering plants or cleaning the litterbox. Previously exclusive to Google Assistant smart speakers and displays, Family Bell reminders will now chime on mobile devices.
Google is also adding a new checklist feature to Family Bell for Nest Hubs, providing fun step-by-step instructions to help you or your kids build healthy habits throughout the day. When an item on the Family Bell checklist is completed, it plays a fun and encouraging animation—maybe this will get your kid to fix their bed in the morning.
A ton of new learning tools are coming to Google Assistant, including an interactive periodic table and some new books. Most of these books come from The English Schoolhouse, a Black woman-owned publishing house with stories like Tallulah the Tooth Fairy CEO and Elijah Everett: Kid Principal. But Google is also adding Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them to the Assistant—just ask Google to tell your kid one of these stories for a fun, educational experience.
For adults, Google is adding “dismiss my alarm” as a trigger for your morning Routine. That’s a complicated way of saying that Google Assistant can tell you the weather and news as soon as you dismiss your morning alarm. Just don’t go back to sleep, or you’ll have to play the Routine over again.
Source: Google
