Continued conversation is arriving for Google Home users today

Google is making good on the promise it made at its I/O conference in May by introducing what a feature called continued conversation for Google Home, Home Mini, and Home Max today. Continued conversation allows you to ask Assistant a question and then add a follow-up, a reminder, or an item to a shopping list without having to say, “OK Google,” each time.

An example of a conversation with the new feature could go something like: “Hey Google, what’s the weather like? ... and what about tomorrow? ... how is my commute? ... remind me to get coffee ... Thanks!” It’s a step in the right direction for having a truly seamless back-and-forth conversation between you and Google Assistant.

There are a few prerequisites you need to know before being able to use continued conversation with your Google Home. First, the feature is launching only in the US for now. Second, it works by keeping Assistant active after an initial request. (Google clarified that Assistant will stay active for eight seconds if no speech is detected and the LEDs will stay illuminated if it’s active to let you know.)

The new feature won’t work unless you enable it by going to the Google Assistant app, followed by Settings > Preferences > Continued conversations and hitting the toggle. It’s rolling out to Google Home users across the US starting today.

:story: The Verge