Google Assistant Now Lets Users Search, Play Podcasts by Guest, Episode Name

Google Assistant is getting new capabilities to make the virtual assistant even more useful when you want to listen to your favorite podcast. The search giant has added new voice commands to Assistant that allow users to search for and play a specific podcast episode. Prior to this, asking Assistant to play a podcast would directly start the latest episode. New commands can be used with three filters to improve your podcast listening experience.

Users will now be able to access specific episodes of their favorite artists’ podcasts by using Google Assistant to search for the name of the episode. The latest blog post Google’s official blog reveals a new Assistant command. Until now, users were only able to play the latest podcast episode by saying “Hey Google, play [podcast name]however, a new feature will help them jump to a specific episode with these three filters:

1. Search using guests: For example, “Play Archetypes with Meghan”

2. Search by title: “Play crime thriller”

3. By episode: “Play episode 4 of Glory Edim’s Well-Read Black Girl”

Since this is a Google Assistant voice command, it should also work on all Assistant-supported devices such as speakers. The blog post also mentions some useful tips that can be useful for tourists and holiday hosts. For example, you can now get instant updates on your orders by simply saying “Ok Google, when is my Amazon order arriving?”.

Recently, Google also introduced new features in Search and Maps. Google is now bringing augmented reality search to select cities around the world. This feature will allow you to view landmarks and locations while pointing your smartphone screen at the world. According to the company, this will help users to quickly find invisible areas in their view. You will also be able to see information such as times, and prices using AR overlays.