Editors' Note: This articles was originally published August 30, but we've updated it with some of the speaker announcements from this week's IFA trade show.
Google Assistant, the company's answer to Siri, Alexa, and other virtual assistants, is coming to a host of devices.
At IFA on Wednesday, (Aug. 30), Google announced that it's dramatically expanding the number of places its virtual assistant is available. The company said that the service will soon be coming to speakers, appliances, and other device types.
Google Assistant is already running on the company's Google Home smart home appliance. By the end of the year, a host of other speakers will be adding Assistant support, including the Zolo Mojo from Anker and the TicHome Mini by Mobvoi. The GA10 from Panasonic will also get Google Assistant support, according to the company, and it expects other speaker makers to add support in the coming months.
After this story was first published, Sony announced plans at IFA to come out with its own Google Assistant-powered speaker. Sony's Wireless Speaker with Google Assistant (or LF-S50G, as it's otherwise called) features a clock display in a waterproof speaker that you can control with a wave of your hand over the controls on top. It's slated to ship in October for $199.
Whether it's the Sony speaker or a device from another company, Google Assistant will work much the same way as it does on Google Home, allowing you to query Google Search, access your calendar, set events, turn on music, and control smart home devices. It'll also support multiple accounts and can distinguish your voice from another person's voice.
MORE: 32 Best Things Google Assistant Can Do
Meanwhile, LG, will also be adding Google Assistant support for its appliances. According to the company, the feature means you'll be able to control washing machines, dryers, and vacuums from a Google Assistant app running on your smart speaker, Android device, or iPhone. From those devices, you'll be able to tell a robot vacuum to start cleaning up your room, and can ask your washing machine if the cycle has completed.
Google's announcement is part of a broader initiative by the company, as well as its chief competitors, like Amazon, to add their virtual assistants to devices built by third-party companies. The move allows for the virtual assistants to garner use from more people and has quickly become the latest front in the broader battle for supremacy.
Which company will ultimately take the lead, however, remains to be seen. Virtual personal assistants are still in their infancy and there have been few breakout devices aside from Amazon's Echo line to make a big splash in the marketplace.
Looking ahead, Google said that it might add more Assistant partners, and will announce those as they happen.
