Actions on Google launches today in the UK – coming soon to other countries

Google has today announced that British users will be getting access to Actions on Google as of today.

Actions on Google is the third party way to get new functionality to the Google Assistant on ‘select Android phones and the iPhone’ and by extension Google Home, which recently launched in the UK.

Developers who have been working on Actions on Google will find that their ‘apps will appear in the local directory automatically this week’ said Brad Abrams, Product Manager at Google who made the announcement about Actions on Google on the Google Developers Blog. While the apps will appear automatically, there are a couple of things developers have to do to get things squared off. Google says developers should ensure their apps are localised by implementing

• There are four new TTS voices with an en-GB accent. We’ve automatically selected one for your app but you can change the selected voice or opt to use your current en-US TTS voice by going to the actions console.
• We also recommend reviewing all your response text strings and making adjustments to accommodate for differences between the two languages — e.g., these pesky little Zeds. This will help make your app shine when accessed on the phone.

Regarding when we’ll see Actions on Google elsewhere, Google said ‘We’ll continue to make the Actions on Google platform available in more languages over the coming year’. This marries with our query to Google last month when they said ‘Soon Google Home will be open to more third party apps for the Assistant, giving you access to more of your favourite services and content.’

We’re excited for Actions on Google and we’re aware of a few developers readying apps for the Australian launch. Let us know if you have any projects you’d like to share.