If you’re like most people, you probably use your smartphones to do things like make phone calls, check the weather, and get information about the current events. But what if you want to do more than just talk to your devices? What if you want to control them? That’s where Siri and Google Assistant come in. Together, they can help you do just that. Here’s how:

  1. Open up a new window on your smartphone and type “siri” into the search bar. You’ll then see a list of results that include both Apple’s Siri and Google’s Assistant. Choose whichever one you want to use.
  2. To start using Siri, simply say “Hey Siri” or “Ok Google” and then follow the prompts that appear onscreen. You can also ask for specific information by saying “What is the weather?” or “What are the latest news headlines?”
  3. To use Google Assistant, open up a new window on your smartphone and type “Google Assistant” into the search bar. You’ll then see a list of results that include both Google’s Assistant and Apple’s Voice Search. Choose whichever one you want to use.
  4. To start using Google Assistant, simply say “Hey Google” or “Ok Google” and then follow the prompts that appear onscreen. You can also ask for specific information by saying “What is my current location?” or “What are my favorite restaurants?”

If you use an iPhone but prefer Google Assistant over Siri, it’s possible to launch Google’s voice assistant easily if you configure the Google Assistant app. Here’s how to set it up.

First, if you don’t have the Google Assistant app, you can get it for free from the App Store. Once you have it, launch Google Assistant. In the Google Assistant app, tap the “visual snapshot” button in the lower-left corner of the screen. (It looks like a partial rectangle with lines radiating from it.)

On this screen, locate the section that says “Add ‘Ok Google’ To Siri” and tap the “Add to Siri” button. Sometimes this message only appears after you dismiss other notifications on this screen.

On the next page, you’ll see an overview of the custom phrase that will be added to Siri. It explains that when you say “Ok Google,” it will perform the “Hey Google” action. Tap “Add to Siri.”

After that, any time you launch Siri, say “Ok Google.” Siri will ask, “What do you want to ask Google?”

Speak your command or question, and Siri will automatically route it to the Google Assistant app. You’ll see the results when the Google Assistant app appears on the screen.

From there, you can ask again by tapping the microphone button in the Google Assistant app, or by triggering Siri and saying “Ok Google.” If you have the time, you can also set up a shortcut that lets you launch Google Assistant by tapping the back of your phone. Have fun!

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