Google is updating its
Auxiliary Platform More of a new set of parental controls, sounds and more that are kid-friendly.
Before that, Google Assistant never really had any parental controls,
but as the company announced (New Open in tab)
, child We often interact with shared devices, so it is appropriate to provide parents with the necessary tools to monitor them.
Assistant Parental Controls will allow users to control the types of content, features and devices children can access at home. For content, you can narrow it down to a handful of approved services, like YouTube Kids or YouTube Music. Parents can also restrict access to news and podcasts. Selection features, such as making phone calls, can be disabled, and the answers given can be adjusted to be more age-appropriate. There’s even a new downtime tool to set a schedule for when kids can use the Google Assistant.
Other new features
age-appropriate answers are provided through the introduction of a children’s dictionary, which allows the assistant to provide “simplified…answers” to children. According to the announcement, the feature works by letting the assistant recognize that the child is speaking and “understand” it is being asked a question. Google gave an example of a child asking what a telescope is, and the child got a basic definition from the Nest Hub display.
In order to use the Children’s Dictionary, you must first add your child’s voice to the supported device. Instructions on how to do this are located on the Google Assistant Help page
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.
The last addition is Arrival Four new kid-friendly voices
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. Google says the voices are designed with input from kids and parents to reflect a variety of accents. They also spoke slower and more Expressiveness (opens in new tab) aldult. Everything in the update will be available to all US users in the coming weeks. It’s unclear if there are plans for a global release. Google says parental controls are coming to the Assistant, Home and Family Link apps on Android and iOS. Presumably Children’s Dictionary and Four Tones will also go to those apps, but the announcement doesn’t say for sure.
We reached out to Google for more clarification and to ask how parents can convert their voices to be more kid-friendly. This story will be updated if we hear back.
better protection
Google Assistant update is
long effort
(Opens in a new tab) It’s up to tech giants to empower parents to better protect their families. In fact, the aforementioned Family Link recently got a major makeover
changed its user interface and added a new location tracking feature. Additionally, Google TV gets new parental-controlled watchlists to make monitoring content easier. But assuming that’s not enough, you need more protection tools to protect your family or want to suggest some. We recommend checking out TechRadar’s list of the best identity theft protection for homes . These security packs offer tools like password managers, anti-malware protection, and VPNs.
Updated November 3, 2022: A Google representative got back to us and confirmed that the update is “currently” only available in the US, so it could roll out elsewhere at some point in the future. They went on to say that the children’s dictionary and four voices will only be “available on all Assistant-powered speakers, displays and mobile devices”. As for how to change your voice to something more child-friendly, a set of instructions on how to do this can be found on the Google Assistant help page
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.
Cesar Cadenas has been writing about the tech industry for years now focusing on consumer electronics, entertainment Devices, Windows and Gaming Industry. But he’s also passionate about smartphones, GPUs, and cybersecurity.
