Google’s virtual assistant is reportedly getting the ability to read messages from non-Google apps such as WhatsApp, Slack and Telegram. A fresh report claimed that the assistant has long had the option to read out messages aloud. But that has not done much good if for conversations lived in third-party apps.
If Google releases the feature to a wider number of users, it would let users dictate their replies to messages for these non-Google apps as well, Engadget reported. Currently, there appears to be limited support for languages beyond English. Android Police reported that messages containing pictures, videos and audios are not accessible by the read-aloud feature.
In such cases, Google Assistant would say, “the message just contains an audio attachment”, and would not play it back. As of now, Google has not yet officially announced the roll-out and availability details. Notably, the read-aloud feature could be useful when users are driving, cooking or otherwise have their hands full.
Separately, it was recently reported that WhatsApp for Desktop may add support for third-party stickers in the future. At the moment, more details about the upcoming feature are still under wraps. This feature is likely to be good for users who want to use stickers that WhatsApp does not offer directly. It will also bring WhatsApp for Web on feature parity with what we get on WhatsApp for Android and iOS.
It is worth noting that the feature is currently hidden. WhatsApp developers are likely to test it properly to ensure stability before rolling it out in the stable update. If you are looking forward to third-party sticker support on WhatsApp for Web then you may have to wait. Taking a look at the roll-out schedule of past features, it is likely that it will be months before it is available for the public.
– With inputs from IANS