In the same way that you can choose which streaming music service you want to use to play those songs and albums you like the most with Google Assistant , you will soon be able to do the same with podcast playback services. Something ideal and necessary for smart speakers that bet on it.
Google Assistant opens up to other podcasting services
When talking about any of the three main voice assistants that exist today, it is not easy to explain that the user experience can be very different depending on what device it is running on. That is, it is not the same to use Google Assistant on an Android phone than on a smart speaker like the Nest Audio.
Despite being the same wizard itself, the options it offers at the level of integration with third-party services may be completely different due to the operating system on which it is running. However, little by little the experiences are unifying and issues such as streaming music for example are already practically identical. So you can choose where you want your favorite song to play from.
Now it seems that little by little it will be the turn of podcasts. According to Android Police, the Google Assistant will expand options and will shortly allow you to play podcasts beyond Google Podcasts . So, although right now we can only say “Ok Google, play [name of podcasts]” and this is played only if it is on Google Podcasts, shortly we will be able to define the platform and Spotify being the first.
At the moment, it has only been seen in accounts in English and the operation is not entirely accurate. But it is to be assumed that the arrival of the rest of the users, using the language they use in the Google assistant, will be something that does not delay. It is also a significant improvement over Google’s smart speaker podcast playback options.
Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant expand boundaries
As you may have already imagined, that Google Assistant allows the playback of podcasts from other services than Google itself is great news. More now than between the different platforms such as Spotify, Audible, etc., there is beginning to be a certain war for the exclusivity of the content.
In the same way, beyond the users themselves, who are the great beneficiary of all this, smart speakers too. Because if they are not able to offer the user what is demanded of them, it will be useless to have, for example, the safest assistant and the greatest privacy options, or the one that is best able to maintain a fluid or natural conversation.
Therefore, that Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant add support for third-party services is essential. For example, Amazon added support for Apple Podcasts recently and will have time later to demonstrate or make them see to its users that their options may be more interesting, but right now to have an Echo, Nest Audio or HomePod and limit them to a single music service , podcasts and the like is a shot in the foot.
So, welcome this expansion of borders that little by little everyone is beginning to assume. Although they need to do it in a much faster and more agile way.
