Google Assistant starts rolling out for Marshmallow, Nougat OS smartphones: Here's what you need to qualify

After a long wait, it is finally happening. While we reported last week that Google was all in for sharing its Google Assistant with other smartphone makers, it has finally happened and the roll out has finally begun. Google has announced through its official blog, that Google Assistant will now come integrated into smartphones other than its Pixel and Nexus lineup. The roll out has begun and according to Engadget will be rolling out to users in the US first. The next phase would include Canada, Australia and Germany. The reason for this is gradual rollout is because of the language setting. English language users will see it appear first but those who have selected their native language will have to wait a while. How long? Well the same report claims that it could even take a whole year. So what do you need to do to check whether Google Assistant is compatible with your device? Firstly, you will need a smartphone that runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow or Android 7.0 Nougat. You will also need to have Google Play services installed. Lastly, there two other minimum hardware requirements for the service and that is (a minimum of) 1.5GB RAM and at least a 720p (HD) display. For now it isn’t clear if the update is coming to users in India. But if you have received the update, do let us know in comments below. To check whether it has arrived, simply long press the home button on your compatible Android smartphone. If Google Now pops up it hasn’t reached your smartphone yet.