Google Maps isn't the only Google service getting an update today, as Google has confirmed that Assistant is getting some improvements, too.
Google is improving the Assistant experience to make it easier to find apps. There will be "What's new" and "What's trending" categories in the app directory of Assistant, new subcategories like "Order Food" or "View a Menu" in the "Food & Drink" section, and badges for family-friendly apps.
Also of note is that developers will soon be able to build apps in Spanish (US, MX, and ES), Italian, Portuguese (BR), and English (IN). Developers in the UK can now build apps with transactional capabilities.
Another update coming to Google Assistant is speaker to phone transfer. With Google's new API, developers can make experiences that start with Assistant on smart speakers like Google Home and then be passed onto the user's phone, like sending a map or completing a transaction. For example, you can begin an order for Panera Bread on your Google Home, then have that order pushed to your phone so that you can see the details and confirm the order.
Other Assistant updates announced by Google today include the ability for devs to build personalized apps by enabling it to remember select info and preferences, a new push notification API to push asynchronous updates to users, and more.
