Google Assistant Could Soon Control Doorbells, Clothes Stylers

On Friday night (June 5) Google Assistant, the artificial intelligence–powered virtual assistant for mobile and smart home devices, was updated to include doorbell and clothes styler devices, which will soon be available widely, reported 9To5Google.

Last month, the Google-focused , online news service reported that as Spring emerged, people are looking for ways to keep cool indoors. To meet that demand, Google allowed developers to integrate Google Assistant with freezers and air coolers.

Next, Google Assistant developer documentation was updated with “Confidential Material,” a new section of device types, the report said.

A warning banner in red that was hard to miss announced these devices were for Early Access Program (EAP) users and not to be discussed without authorization.

Since an EAP for Assistant developers does not exist publicly, 9To5Google reported it could be by invitation only. The pages were deleted, a few hours later, but screenshots are forever, the online news service said.

Since doorbells can be integrated with Assistant, the report found it odd that support for them is only being given to developers now.

Google’s Nest Hello, which lets homeowners to know who’s at the door and replaces a wired doorbell with HD video and bright, crisp images, even at night, is one of the more prominent entries in this category, and it has been able to announce visitors through its Google Home app.

Nest Hello is not the only doorbell supported, 9To5 reported, which makes it all the more confusing. It’s possible that this move is in an effort to support more doorbells and open other features such as visitor announcements.

The clothes styler is a device that can be compared to a washer/dryer device that refreshes clothes through steaming and sanitization. It functions the same way with the ability to start, stop and pause, adjust modes and settings, and provide information about its running state, the report said.

While smart doorbells are widely available, a so-called smart styler is tough to find, 9To5 reported.