New feature for Google Assistant borrows heavily from Siri

Siri Shortcuts is a feature that allows you to create a shortcut to activate certain actions with specific apps.. Here’s a good example. Let’s say that you are totally frustrated with Siri. What you can do is download the Google Assistant app for iOS, found in the App Store. However, if you’ve moved from an Android phone to an iPhone, you might be appalled to discover that you can’t activate Google Assistant by saying a hotword unless you use Siri Shortcut.

For example, you can set up Siri Shortcut to activate Google Assistant by stating “Hey Siri, O.K. Google.” Sure, it sounds crazy and someone overhearing the command might try to have you committed to Bellevue. But when you break it down, you’re simply activating Siri and then giving Siri the “O.K. Google” verbal shortcut that opens up Google Assistant. Now, Google is said to be working on its own shortcuts feature for Google Assistant that is very similar to Siri Shortcuts.

For example, if you have Twitter installed on your Android phone you can go into Shortcuts and create a shortcut. When you’re ready to create a new Tweet, say “O.K. Google, new tweet” to start composing. Similarly, you’ll be able to say, “O.K. Google, new Gmail” to create a new email in the Gmail app. Shortcuts also appear in your Assistant Routines menu where you can edit them using a different UI.

For Android users to take advantage of Assistant Shortcuts, developers will have to improve the functionality of their apps. For example, Shortcuts currently cannot be chained together and they can only get you to a specific screen on an app. Neowin points out that while you can’t open a specific keyword on Instagram, you can open the Explore Tab on the app.

The new Assistant Shortcuts is rolling out as a server-side update. You can see if you have it on your phone by going to Assistant Settings. There, you can find the aforementioned Assistant Routines menu where Shortcuts can also be found.