The Google Assistant has finally been opened to other devices as long as at least Android 6.0 Marshmallow is the OS installed.
When the Google Assistant first came to life, it was termed as a Google Pixel-exclusive application, but at the MWC 2017, things changed when the search engine giant confirmed that it will be opening up the Assistant to devices using at least Android Marshmallow. In fact, the Assistant will also make it to the likes of LG Watch, but the specifics of how it will work is not yet known.
Even though Google has confirmed that the Assistant will soon be available to those using Android Marshmallow and above on their devices, the exact release date of this application is not yet known. The good side of the story is that you can have the Google Assistant up and running on your phone through a few simple steps.
Unlike most cases where the device being installed with the Google Assistant needs to be rooted, this method has no effect on your phone’s initial setup. The minimum requirement here is Android Marshmallow and above. Once you have met this condition, stick to the following steps in order to get the Assistant on your Android phone.
First, you’ll need to install the latest version of the Google Play Services. This comes with version number 10.5.35. You can grab the latest APK version via the APK Mirror and install it like any other APK file. Once this is done, head to the same website and grab the latest Google App version 6.14.12 beta or anything above it.
Since the Google Assistant will be rolling out first to those in English-speaking countries, make sure you’ve changed your phone’s language settings to English USA. This can be done via Settings>Language and Input>Languages>English (United States). Well, that’s it! The Google Assistant should be on your device shortly – just long-press the Home button and it’ll be there, ready for you!
Just in case it doesn’t show up, you can clear the cache and data of the Google App via the App Settings. When the phone is restarted, the Google Assistant should be available on your Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy Note 4 or Galaxy S6, among other Android Marshmallow (and above) devices.