In the same way that you can choose which streaming music service you want to use to play those songs and albums that you like the most with Google Assistant, soon you will be able to do the same with the services of podcast playback. Something ideal and necessary for the smart speakers that bet on it.
Google Assistant opens up to other podcast services
When talking about any of the three main voice assistants that exist today, it is not easy to explain that the user experience can be very different depending on which device is running. In other words, using Google Assistant on an Android phone is not the same as using a smart speaker like the Nest Audio. Although with both in the end you can do things like control the Xbox by voice.
Despite being the same wizard itself, the options offered at the level of integration with third-party services may be completely different due to the operating system on which it is running. However, little by little the experiences are unifying and issues such as streaming music, for example, are now practically identical. So you can choose where you want your favorite song to be played from.
Now it seems that little by little it will be the turn of podcasts. According to Android Police, soon we will see how the Google Assistant allows you to play podcasts Beyond Google Podcasts. So while right now we can only say “Ok Google, play [podcast name]” and it plays only if it's on Google Podcasts, we'll soon be able to define the platform and Spotify being the first.
At the moment, it has only been seen in accounts in english and the operation is not entirely accurate. But it is to be assumed that the arrival to the rest of the users, whatever language they use in the Google assistant, will be something that will not be delayed. It's also a major improvement over Google's smart speaker podcast playback options.
Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant expand borders
As you may have already imagined, that Google Assistant allows the reproduction of podcasts from other services than Google's own is great news. More now than between the different platforms such as Spotify, Audible, etc., there is beginning to be a certain war for the exclusivity of the contents.
In the same way, beyond the users themselves, who are the great beneficiaries of all this, smart speakers too. Because if they are not capable of offering the user what they demand, it will be useless to have, for example, the most secure assistant and the best privacy options, or the one that is best capable of maintaining a fluid or natural conversation.
Therefore, that Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant add support for third-party services It's fundamental. For example, Amazon recently added support for Apple Podcasts and will have time later to demonstrate or show their users that their options can be more interesting, but right now having an Echo, Nest Audio or HomePod, even with the new HomePod mini, and limiting them to a single service for music, podcasts, and the like is a shot in the foot.
So, welcome to this expansion of borders that little by little everyone is beginning to assume. Although they need to do it in a much faster and more agile way.