Personal Assistant apps have been around for a while. However, it wasn’t until Siri that they became a really big deal. We now have tons of options in the space, including offerings from Google, Microsoft, and SoundHound, among others. It’s an interesting space to be in right now. You can take advantage as well with the best personal assistant apps for Android! Let’s get started. Also, if you’re into hardware, check out Google Home and Amazon Alexa as they combine the concept of a personal assistant app with a hardware device to control. We’ll be perfectly honest here. Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Bixby, and Microsoft Cortana are probably your best bets for right now. The quality tapers off fairly heavily after those four.
Amazon Alexa
Price: Free
Amazon Alexa is actually a great personal assistant. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to get a hold of. It requires an Amazon Fire device or an Amazon Echo device. The app on Android is mostly just a controller for the devices. Alexa can do web searches, integrate with smart home stuff, and even order pizza! Its device restrictions are by far the worst part of it. Otherwise, this is right up there with Google Assistant as the best of the best. We recommend it for sure.
Bixby
Price: Free (Samsung devices only)
Bixby is Samsung’s personal assistant app. It’s only available on Samsung devices. Otherwise, it’s surprisingly decent. It does web searches, downloads apps from Google Play, and has direct support for a variety of available apps. It also supports smart home tech as long as you get Samsung’s proprietary hub. Its only about a year old. However, it’s still better than most other options. Those with Samsung device should try this one for sure. We’re not sure if Samsung plans on opening this up to any other devices. It might be nice if they did.
Cortana
Price: Free
It is true that Cortana still needs some work but it has too much potential to leave off of a list like this. Microsoft’s answer to Siri has a ton of things that it can do and it’s integrated into Windows 10 for near-seamless cross-platform support. Among its many features include the ability to call people, send SMS and email, track packages, tell jokes, take notes, add stuff to your calendar, and more. Again, it is a little rough around the edges right now. It’s still better than most. Plus, its active development should make it better over time.
DataBot
Price: Free / Up to $4.99
DataBot is a slightly above average personal assistant app. It features cross-platform support. You also get some basic personal assistant stuff, some customization features, and even a chat bot. It doesn’t come close to the functionality of Google Assistant, Siri, or even Cortana or Bixby. However, it’s a simpler, entertaining solution for those who like that. It can even tell jokes, riddles, and other goofy stuff like that. The app isn’t bad, but it’s not mind blowing either. The app is free with some optional in-app purchases.
Google Assistant
Price: Free
Google Assistant is pretty much the undisputed champion of personal assistant apps on Android. It comes with a metric ton of features which includes the basics, more advanced stuff like anticipating your needs, activation from anywhere, Google Now on Tap, and a lot more. It even integrates with some smart home stuff like Philips Hue lights. It’s not enough that this app is solid as a brick wall but it’s also updated on an almost constant basis by Google which seems to only add to its stability and range of features. If your device has Google Play Services, you probably already have this installed which means you just have to turn it on. You can also get Google Now Launcher which puts Google Now at the forefront of your device interactions.
Hound
Price: Free
Hound is another one of the upcoming personal assistant apps alongside Cortana. SoundHound made this one a couple of years ago. It’s coming along okay. The basics are all covered here and includes some advanced stuff like a mortgage calculator, integrated Expedia support for hotel booking, and the SoundHound Now which opens a sing/hum music search. You can even play interactive games like Hangman. It’s only for United States residents right now, but it is out of beta and ready for public consumption. It is still a bit buggy though, so do beware of that.
Lyra Virtual Assistant
Price: Free
Lyra Virtual Assistant is one of the simpler personal assistant apps. It can do a lot of basic stuff. Some of the features include searching for YouTube videos, tell jokes, find directions, manage a diary, set alarms, and some other stuff. It uses Material Design. That means it looks pretty good. It obviously can’t compete with the big dogs. However, it’s a good alternative for those who don’t want all those extra features. This one is completely free with no in-app purchases or ads as far as we could find.
Robin
Price: Free
Robin was one of the original “Siri challengers” and, as such, as been around for quite some time. Despite that, the developer still proclaim Robin as a beta application which means they definitely want everything to be just right before release. It supports the basic commands such as calling and sending SMS and it can also respond to gestures, find out about parking and traffic alerts, gas prices, and more. It still needs some work but it’s a pretty decent option and should become a lot better over the long term if the developers keep working on it.
To do list apps
Price: Free / Varies
To do list do many of the same things as personal assistant apps. You can remind yourself to do things, schedule things for a later date, add notes, and even access a calendar. One of these along with a weather app and Google Search and you have the same basic experience. You obviously won’t get smart home integration and some of the more complex tasks. However, those who don’t want those things can replicate most of the rest of the experience with other apps. Todoist, TickTick, and Gtasks are good options. We have our best list linked above if you want to see more!
Other OEM AI assistant apps
Price: Free
Other OEMs are considering or actively developing AI assistants for their smartphones. Some examples include LG, Huawei, and Xiaomi. These are more or less like Bixby. They are personal assistant apps that should come baked into the smartphones these manufacturers make. We don’t know a ton about these apps right now other than their development. Some of them come with some unique features. For instance, Xiaomi’s assistant can find photos of you from a certain time in a certain place. You may have to wait a generation or two, but these should be decent options upon their release.
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If we missed any great personal assistant apps for Android, tell us about them in the comments! You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game lists!
from Apps – Android Authority https://ift.tt/2CiLdg0
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