As well as the new redesign of Assistant on your phone, Google has also announced a new option for third-party developers who can now enable digital purchases in their Assistant apps.
Google’s Assistant Actions have previously been enabled for making purchases for physical goods, but this moves it into the digital realm. Developers will now be able to complete transactions for digital purchases in their apps for one-off purchases, as well as recurring subscriptions and new levels & expansion packs for games.
Once a purchase is made, Google is enabling developers to let their users access their digital content such as subscriptions across their Android app and Action for Assistant.
Google is also launching ‘Sign-In for the Assistant’, a secure authentication method which enables the Assistant to sign in to their account with their voice, or even create a new account for a service they haven’t previously used. Until now, Google Assistant required users to sign in, or create accounts for apps and services manually.
As usual, this new feature is starting off in the US, with a promise to roll it out in other locales soon. We’ve not really seen many implementations of paying for goods with Assistant apps in Australia yet, but with many of the services offering digital subscriptions available internationally we may be getting Google Assistant to make purchases soon.
