Digital Wellbeing, as part of the Time Well Spent concept has pervaded Google and Android with the launch of Android Pie, and it could soon expand to your Google Home allowing you to limit access to the Assistant.
Google Home is full of interesting games and distractions, especially for some youngsters and the option to limit access to those things are a possibility with 9to5Google finding signs of it in one of their ‘APK Insight’ deep dives into a recent release of the Google app.
Google already has Digital Wellbeing components in Assistant offering you the option to initiate Do Not Disturb mode on your phone with a voice command, or run a bedtime routine to prepare you for bed however these new developments appears to be more focused on Google Home.
According to 9to5Google, some of the restrictions that a could include:
“Family mode” or “Filters” could limit what content kids can search and voice games they can access. Meanwhile, “Downtime” is reminiscent of “Wind Down” on Android and could block certain users — possibly recognized via Voice Match — from using Home at night or other set hours.
The Digital Wellbeing feature seems to be built-in to the Google Home app, replacing the current ‘Family Tools’ option.
Given the use of Assistant and Google Home to set timers, or alarms at bed time it’s safe to say that those functions wouldn’t be limited by the Digital Wellbeing controls. Of course you can always remove any of the Digital Wellbeing filters if they’re getting in the way of your life, but it’s very much a positive move to give people the choice to use them if they need to.
Would you use Digital Wellbeing filters on your Google Home or within Assistant?
