Google today updated the Google Assistant SDK for developers and in so doing expanded the number of things developers can do with the voice-based assistant. To start, Assistant is now available in more languages and locales, including English (Australia, Canada, U.K., U.S.), French (Canada, France), German, and Japanese. The refreshed SDK makes it possible for end users to further tweak their Assistant-powered (non-mobile) devices, such as manually configure street address or set location via longitude/latitude. Google says this will improve results for location-based queries, such as "Ok Google, where's the nearest coffee shop?" Other new powers in the expanded SDK include support for text-based queries and responses, and more control over device-based actions for smarthome hardware. Developers can download and begin using the updated Google Assistant SDK from the Google Developer web site. It will be up to developers and device makers to build these functionalities into their apps and products.


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