The Google Assistant Snapshot, the page that shows you a briefing about your day, is getting an upgrade this week. Google is adding more information to it, including recommendations and important stuff, like birthdays.
The new Snapshot, which you typically access by the bottom left corner icon in Google Assistant, can just as easily be accessed by saying, “Hey Google, show me my day.” I actually thought that was there previously, but whatever, it’s there now and works.
Once in the Snapshot, Google says you’ll still find the essentials, like commute times, reminders to pay your credit card, that sort of thing. But now, reminders for birthdays and holidays will appear, you’ll see different snapshots depending on the time of day, and there will be recommendations for things like recipes or podcasts or nearby restaurants.
Finally, you should start seeing notifications from the Assistant with information about Snapshot items. For example, I think I saw a birthday notification reminder this morning for my brother, because his birthday is happening next week. Once you tap on those types of notifications, you should see related suggested actions to take.
As I mentioned two years ago when Google first introduced Snapshot, it felt a bit like the return of Google Now. I can’t help but think Google should put it back as a side panel on the home screen, though. Because I either have to talk to my phone or access it via a couple of taps or swipes in Assistant, I rarely go to this screen. It needs to be more accessible.
Be on the lookout for the new Snapshot!
This post was last modified on August 27, 2020 10:07 am