Google Assistant has always been able to read SMS texts sent to you over the native Messages app or Hangouts aloud, but it never really touched the third-party messaging apps, which billions of users around the world relied on. However, things seem to change.
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Use Google Assistant To Respond
As reported by Android Police, Google Assistant seems to roll out an option to read messages from non-google apps like WhatsApp, Slack, Discord, GroupMe, and so on. As in, you can dictate or type out replies, and there appears to be limited support for languages beyond English.
Image Credits: AndroidPolice
Previously, when you asked Google Assistant to read your message (by saying “read my messages”). If you hadn’t already, you’ll have to grant the Google app notification access for this to work.
So, a card pops up with the last text message and reads it aloud and you’re then given the option to type or dictate a reply. When done, the answer is immediately sent and the original message is marked as read (the notification goes away).
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One last thing to note is that messages containing pictures, videos, and audio notes aren’t accessible. Assistant will say, “the message just contains an audio attachment,” for example, and won’t playback. The feature might not be widely available as of this writing, so don’t be surprised if Assistant scratches its head when you ask for an answer.
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