Google Assistant finally gains Allo's handy subscriptions feature

Following yesterday’s big news that Google Assistant can finally recognize songs playing nearby, Google is bringing yet another big feature to the voice assistant. Starting today, Google Assistant on Android and iOS will be able to send you daily weather updates, quotes, and more.

For those unfamiliar with this feature, you can ask your Google Assistant to send you the weather, a poem, or a fun fact every day at the same time. The Google Assistant in Allo has been able to do this ever since the messaging app launched last year, and now it’s finally available in the full-fledged version of Assistant.

To set up a subscription, touch and hold the home button (or squeeze your phone if you have a Pixel 2), and say one of the following commands:

• Send me weather everyday
• Send me a poem everyday
• Send me a quote everyday
• Send me a funny video everyday
• Send me a fun fact everyday
• Send me a mindfulness tip everyday

When asked if you’d like to receive this information everyday, tap yes. You can then choose a time to receive your update.

If you need to see a list of your subscriptions, just say “See my subscriptions” or ask “What are my subscriptions?”. You can also cancel any subscription at any time by asking for a list of your subscriptions, tapping on the one you’d like to edit, then tap change time or cancel the subscription.

Unfortunately the list above is pretty limited, even compared to the Allo version. I used to use Assistant in Allo to send me news stories every night at 9 p.m., but Google Assistant can’t do that yet (see screenshot above).

It’s also worth noting that this feature hasn’t been the most reliable in the past. Whenever I’d set up a new subscription in Allo, Assistant would stop sending them to me after about a week. Hopefully that bug has been ironed out with this new release.

Next: Google Assistant in Allo: the top features you should know