New Google Assistant settings start rolling out on Android

Google has been working on an assistant preference overhaul since February. It saw some tweaks in February and April, but the redesign of Google Assistant settings now sees a broader rollout.

Compared to what we found earlier, there is no longer a search box above to query all settings. However, this new page will display maps to highlight important features like adding contacts.

The user’s avatar profile, name, and email address appear below with shortcuts to “Manage your Google Account” and “Your Assistant Data.” You can switch accounts from this drop-down menu.

Instead of preferences being grouped into four tabs, there is now one unified list. However, Google highlights seven sections directly from the bat: Routines, Music, Basic Info, Languages, Voice Match, You and Devices. The last two items are gaining more prominence.

The Devices page organizes items with “Home” and “Personal.” If you have more than one Android phone / tablet, they will appear unnamed and with an icon for a question mark. Generally, there is no central “Phone” entry – more on that below, while the “Personalization” page lists “Other Devices” with a look at what is on / off.

Below is a “View all / less settings” option to clean the interface. Otherwise you will get the list “All settings” arranged alphabetically, save for “Hey Google” sensitivity. There are 34 menus here, and the new organization should be straightforward like the previous categories.

There are some new items here, with “General” management controls that were previously under Phone, such as “Use Screen Context” and “Donate Screenshots.” This approach greatly simplifies how you manage the sprawling, cross-device service.

As before, the new assistant settings can be accessed from the Google App Preferences page. This redesign still sees its widest rollout for users on the beta channel (version 11.24). It is not currently available on the standalone Google Assistant for iOS app.