Hey Siri, meet Google Assistant

Since it was announced in mid-2016, Google Assistant has made a large impact on a variety of Google products. It initially appeared as the voice and brain of Google Home, as well as being a part of Allo, the tech giant’s messaging app. Since then, it has appeared on the Google Pixel, as well as across other Android devices.

The virtual assistant is able to perform a variety of tasks, ranging from searching the internet to setting alarms. Google have even opened the gates to third-party developers, allowing them to run Google Assistant on a range of appliances, devices and even cars.

After Google Assistant’s successful conquest of Android devices over the past year, the logical next step was moving over to iOS. This move brought the virtual assistant directly into competition with Siri, but it isn’t strictly a fair fight.

While Apple might have allowed Google Assistant to at least enter the playing field, it’s clear that the app must abide by some rules. Siri, on the other hand, is on home turf; its functions and capabilities are available in their entirety, while Google Assistant lacks the full array of abilities that it wields on Android.

Key features that Google Assistant still possesses include being able to search on the internet for information, as well as being able to control Smart Home devices. While Siri can also control these devices, it’s definitely a plus that it is no longer the only virtual assistant on iOS capable of doing so.

Google Assistant appearing on iOS isn’t the only recent news that has shown both of the tech giants collaborating with one-another, though they could hardly be classed as friends. Last month, Bernstein claimed that Google was remaining the default search engine on iOS devices (for the modest fee of $3 billion). Of course, it’s deals like this that benefit both parties – Apple users make up almost half of Google’s mobile search revenue, and Google are paying Apple for this privilege.

But aside from a few small instances like these, Apple is keen to keep as exclusive as possible, and Google is becoming ever more self-sufficient. One thing is for certain, however, and that is that healthy competition between the two companies will lead to further leaps and bounds in technology and innovation. And with software developer kits like Flutter, devs can have the best of both worlds, bringing great apps directly to users on both platforms with ease.

Do you use Siri or Google Assistant regularly, or do you think virtual assistants are a gimmick and not worth the time and money invested in them?