Google Assistantas we know it may not be with us for long. The company announced that it wants to enhance its voice Assistant with generative AI, creatively calling the upcoming experienceAssistant with Bard. Google already gave us an extensive preview of what capabilities we can expect, but we haven’t heard much official about it since October. That’s finally changing, with a new video of Assistant with Bard in action showing up within the Pixel Tips app on Google’s phones.
The video, spotted by Google News Telegram channel owner Nail Sadykov on X, offers a demo of what people can expect with Assistant with Bard once it rolls out to them in a future software update. It reveals that there will be a new native Bard app, likely replacing the old Assistant app, that you’re able to use to start a chat with the AI, though you can also still rely on the good old “Hey Google” hotword or long-pressing your power button.
When invoked, Bard will show up as a floating overlay at the bottom of the screen, wishing a “Good morning” and asking you to “type, talk, or share a photo” to proceed. In the video, Google opts for a visual prompt with a photo of a plant, combined with spoken instructions: “I just bought this plant. Give me tips and YouTube videos to help me take care of it.” In contrast to the old Assistant, you then have to tap a send button to kick off Bard’s reply, which shows up after a few seconds, consisting of some bullet points and a collection of relevant YouTube videos, as requested.
Android expert Mishaal Rahman was able to dig up some more information about the feature, hidden within the Pixel Tips app code. Strings point to a publication date of “202403,” indicating that the new Bard experience will launch with the March feature drop this year, currently in testing asAndroid 14 QPR2. Assistant with Bard will also see a very limited release in the beginning. The video and tip are blocked from showing up on any devices except for Tensor-powered Pixel phones. This means that the Pixel Tablet and even the Pixel Fold won’t get it, at least for the time being. The app additionally references another device codenamed “comet” as one of the blocked devices, which is the future Pixel Fold 2, if it’s going to be called that.
While Google remains shy about Assistant with Bard, we’ve got a pretty good idea of what it will look like and work at this point. Even ahead of the Pixel Tips video, Android app developer Dylan Roussel was able to enable the new Bard UI,showcasing how it will work in a collection of screenshots. They reveal long descriptions of how Bard can help, how you can connect it with other apps, and how your data is used to improve the service. The screenshots also encourage users to use Bard to analyze what’s currently visible on the screen, which is a key feature demonstrated during the October Made by Google event.
