During Google I/O 2018, it's safe to say that Google Duplex — the feature that enables the Google Assistant to call restaurants and make reservations on your behalf — stole the entire show. After initially being available exclusively to Google's Pixel phones, Duplex is now rolling out to all Android and iOS devices.
If you take a look at the support site for Google My Business Help, you'll see that the "devices supported" page now lists:
- Android devices running version 5.0 or newer
- iPhones with the Google Assistant installed
Duplex is currently live in 43 states across the U.S., and I can confirm that it's working on both my Galaxy S10 and iPhone XS.
To use Duplex, you can get started by staying something along the lines of "Hey Google, make me a restaurant reservation." From there, you'll select the restaurant you want, how many people should be on the reservation, what time you want to book it for, etc. Google Assistant will then confirm all these details with you, call the restaurant, and then add the reservation to your calendar.
Duplex has been met with both excitement and criticism, but I'm certainly in the former camp. I'm all for anything that can make my life easier, and as dumb as it may sound, having to call a restaurant and make a reservation on my own time can be a pain. There's an argument to be made about how much time you're actually saving compared to calling on your own, but I still think it's wickedly cool.
Google Assistant: News, Tips, and Everything you need to know
