Google Assistant finally gets the ability to read and reply to messages on Telegram, WhatsApp, and other third-party messaging services. Until now the functionality was restricted to SMS texts and Hangouts. In some cases Google Assistant let you send messages but was restricted from reading the new messages.

If you say “read my message” to Google Assistant, then it will read all new messages across communication platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, and others. The folks at Android Police have discovered that Google Assistant will also let you send WhatsApp messages by using voice commands.

As you can see in the screenshot, a card with the message is shown alongside the sender details. For this feature to work, you need to give access to Google app notification. After sending the message the original message is marked as read. That being said, messages containing pictures, videos or any other media are currently not accessible. In such cases, Google Assistant will simply say “the message just contains an audio attachment.”

Previously, Google Assistant simply skipped over new messages from platforms other than Hangouts and SMS. Needless to say, a majority of Android users make use of popular messaging services like WhatsApp, Slack, and Telegram. The new feature will allow Android users to use third-party apps handsfree. It is also useful to check new messages whilst driving or during other activities like cooking.

Earlier this year we learned that Google is making its next-generation Assistant up to 10X faster. In order to achieve this, the company will reduce the size of the AI model from 100s of GB’s to 500MB. Moreover, users will now be able to carry on a conversation without having to say “Hey Google” every time.