Google expects its Assistant to be on one billion devices by the end of this month.
That would be double the user count of 500 million which was recorded last May.
In announcing this milestone, Google highlighted the myriad capabilities added to Assistant throughout 2018.
These include expanding its availability from 14 to 80 countries, the ability to have natural conversations, new services such as booking ride services, and more.
In 2019, Google has already introduced Assistant integration with Google Maps, flight check-ins, hotel bookings, and greater language translation capabilities.
While greater functionality may make Google Assistant more appealing to new users, what will really bolster its adoption in 2019 is its rapid expansion to more devices.
At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week, a number of companies announced they would be adding Google Assistant to their connected devices.
These include Dish’s ‘Hopper’ receivers, car adapters from Anker and JBL, connected TVs from Samsung, and a smart display from KitchenAid.
Integration with a wider range of products will certainly help Google Assistant reach one billion devices.
However, Android phones will still make up the majority of Google Assistant’s install base.
By comparison, Amazon’s Alexa is available on 100 million devices, according to a recent report from The Verge.
Although Google Assistant will soon be available on ten times as many devices, Amazon Alexa is supported by nearly three times as many smart home products.
Google Assistant is winning the platform war when it comes to mobile phones but still has some catching up to do in the smart home market.
No matter how you look at it, it’s going to be a good year for connected devices.
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