Google Assistant On iPhone: Company Wants To Bring Virtual Assistant To Other Smartphones

If Google has its way, it might be bringing its virtual assistant to other smartphone platforms.

In an interview at Mobile World Congress, Gummi Hafsteinsson — product management director at Google — said it wants to port Google’s virtual assistant to competing smartphones according to a report from Geekster.

“I do not think we have anything to announce at this point,” Hafsteinsson said. “But I think the general philosophy is that we would like to have the Assistant available to as many people as possible.”

Hafsteinsson’s statement followed Google confirming that Google Assistant would be available on Android TV and Android Auto platforms. The competitor to Apple’s Siri is the successor to Google Now and is starting to roll out to more Google devices. Previously, the assistant had exclusively appeared on Google’s Pixel line of premium smartphones.

As Business Insider notes, it’s unlikely that Google Assistant could be fully integrated into other smartphones. Out of the box, Apple builds Siri right into its iPhones and the virtual assistant is the default option for iOS users. More likely, Google could offer Google Assistant as a separate app through a phone’s app store.

Google’s Assistant is the latest entry into an increasingly competitive smartphone virtual assistant market. In order to separate themselves from competing manufacturers, companies like Samsung and LG have developed their own virtual assistants to use on their smartphones. These virtual assistants are counterparts to home assistants like Amazon’s Alexa, which are designed to help with tasks around the house like music listening and purchases.