It will soon become easier to control your Roku devices. The company has confirmed today that it will soon be possible for users to control its devices through Google Assistant. A software update will be rolling out in the next few weeks which will bring Google Assistant to Roku-branded TVs, sticks, and streaming boxes.
Google Assistant support will enable users to control the devices with voice commands given to the digital personal assistant. It will be possible through any Google Assistant device such as a smart speaker like the Google Home or just the Google Assistant app on a smartphone.
Roku device owners will be able to play and pause content through voice commands, search for content and launch channels. Those who have a Roku TV will be able to switch it on and off, change the channels, and also switch the inputs with voice commands given to the Assistant.
Some might be surprised that Roku is opening up to Google Assistant even though it already offers some voice control functionality of its own, particularly on devices that ship with its voice remote.
The Roku Entertainment Assistant is being developed as well. It will let users do basically everything that they can accomplish with the Google Assistant on Roku devices but even though that assistant was due to arrive this fall, it may be a while before Roku’s offering becomes available.
Filed in . Read more about Google Assistant and Roku. Source: businesswire