Google launches custom voice actions for Android to launch third-party app features

BY Evan Selleck

Published 30 Apr 2015

Google custom voice actions Android

Android is littered with features, and many of those are tied into third-pary apps that make gaining access to them, or even the features baked into them, that much easier.

Google is continuing that trend with custom voice actions for Android, now letting you simply say what you want your phone to do, and letting it do the work from there. That means even fewer taps on your phone’s display for those that just want to get somewhere in the most minimalist way possible.

Of course, while Google is happy to make the feature on their end, support has to be added to the apps as well. So, at launch, there are only a handful to try the new feature with, but those include:

    Flixster: “Show me Inception on Flixster.”
    Instacart: “Show instacart availability.”
    Lincoln: “Start my Lincoln MKZ.”
    NPR One: “Listen to NPR.”
    Realtor.com: “Show rentals near me on Realtor.”
    Shazam: “Shazam this song.”
    TripAdvisor: “Show attractions near me on TripAdvisor.”
    Trulia: “Show homes for sale in Boston on Trulia.”
    TuneIn Radio: “Open TuneIn in car mode.”
    Walmart: “Scan my receipt on Walmart.”
    Wink: “Activate home mode on Wink.”
    Zillow: “Show me open houses nearby on Zillow.
      Google is also opening the door for developers to not only suggest what other apps should get added to the list, but how the feature can be improved in general.

      You can head through the source link to learn more, but for now try out the new feature with one of the aforementioned apps and tell us what you think of custom voice actions.

      [via +AndroidDevelopers]