Will the “reminder” become a common part of how we use the platform?
Google Assistant is building a new service that could potentially revolutionize how we use messaging apps … but is it all it’s cracked up to be?
According to The Verge, Google Assistant, the company’s offering for a virtual administrative assistant service, will soon include a feature that will send reminders to a given segmented user group that many would describe as ‘friends and family.’
Helpful … or Annoying?
On the flip side, this service could possibly be used in ways that could be somewhat irksome.
Internal resources from Google show that reminders can be set to repeat, which may be one of the ways that users could end up abusing what’s supposed to be a casual and purposeful utility.
Also, some cautionary tales reported to Google support by users show that sometimes, reminders might end up repeating after they’ve served their purpose, much to the chagrin of users who no longer need them anymore.
The reminders can only be sent to someone in the user’s Google contacts list, and there are privacy and child protection features in play. TechCrunch notes that a ‘Family Link’ service allows special setups for those under age 13. Also, the reminders are blockable, which may end up being a big relief to some users who don’t want those messages lobbed at them, despite the senders’ best intentions.
Google will first unleash the feature in the U.S., U.K., and Australia.
Who knows, maybe in the future, Google Assistant will become that vital way to get people into the meeting room, or remember birthdays, or do all of those other routine things that we have to remind ourselves and others of during a busy day.
