The Google Assistant Help Mode was announced on the occasion of Google I/O 2019 to replace Android Auto on smartphones and its launch, scheduled for that summer, has been postponed but it seems that finally with Android 12 the time has come. its official debut. While waiting for this to happen, the new interface for the home screen is starting to spread internationally (last year it was limited to only a portion of US users).
A taste of what’s new in Assistant Help Mode
As we learn from 9to5Google, the voice command Hey Google, start driving mode (or similar) will start an assistant home screen that was previously not available. At the top of the screen, there is a cover image with the Google Assistant logo in the corner and the entry “I’m not driving” to exit. Users with a recent or ongoing journey see a map with a forecast of arrival at their destination.
Otherwise, there is a search bar that opens a tab with recent destinations and a shortcut to launch Google Maps. There is no shortage of suggestions for multimedia content (YouTube Music, podcasts, news, etc.) and the ability to access playback controls with a touch, shortcuts for voice commands to send a message and make a call, a bar for the instruments in the lower part.
This initial screen of the Google Assistant Help Mode, which is entirely powered by the Google app, seems to be available only on smartphones with Android 12 onboard and the 12.35 beta version of the Mountain View giant’s application (you can download it from APK Mirror).
This feature will likely be available to everyone by the time the stable version of Android 12 is released (now there is also a possible date). We’ll see.
