Google has embarked on a major transformation in the past few weeks. While it used to be content to highlight its services, this means making the world’s most widely used mobile operating system free, but now it is trying to impose special features on devices.
And those devices are, of course, the Google Pixel and Pixel XL, and in many ways they are now “Google’s iPhones” because they are offered and sold in many specials and at high prices.
Its best arguments are none other than Google Assistant, the voice assistant that lets you voice control most things on your phone and naturally have a virtual friend you can chat with. But why not on your phone too? To do this, follow our tutorial!
Discover Assistant with Allo
First of all, note that this assistant currently only works in English. However, he will learn the French language in a short time, with the goodwill of the developer, who is betting primarily on the American market for the time being.
While Full Assistant is only available on Pixels, you can also find it in the Google Allo chat app at work. Consider taking advantage of Allo to find out if you want to deep change your phone, as the processes below are a bit technical.
In this version, you will still be able to take advantage of the artificial intelligence of the search engine and even integrate it into a conversation with your friends. These first steps on Assistant allow you to explore its usefulness.
Prerequisites
Have you discovered Assistant in Allo and now want to take advantage of it all over your phone? That’s fine, but some prerequisites need to be met first. Note that you will need to have:
- under a phone Android 7.0 Nougat minimum
- A bootloader unlocked
- Rights root (see how to root your phone)
- latest version google app (6.5.35.21 or more)
Unblock Google Assistant on your smartphone
This manipulation is not without risk. Consider making a backup. Neither Moyens I/O nor the author of this article can be held responsible for any damage done to your device during this manipulation.
The principle of unlocking Google Assistant is actually very simple: we’ll make the phone believe it’s a Google Pixel so we’ll let the developer know that you can use Assistant. To do this we will modify the build.prop file.
manual method
The file is located in your phone’s “system” folder and gives your phone device information. Just in case, make a copy before any manipulation. Open it with a text editor and add (or edit) the following lines to include this:
ro.product.model=Pixel XL
ro.opa.eligible_device=true
The first makes your phone think it’s a Google Pixel XL, while the second enables Google Assistant compatibility. Save your changes, clear your cache and reboot.
simple method
XDA developers, of course, did not leave us helpless: user FaserF created flashable .zip files directly on your phone to perform this manipulation.
Don’t forget to back up your system once again so you can recover your phone in case of a problem.
Put the 3 downloaded files in the same folder on your phone. Reboot in recovery mode and flash “GoogleAssistantVelvet.zip” and then “GoogleAssistantBuildProp.zip”. Once done, reboot.
Don’t forget to clear your Google app’s cache if Google Assistant doesn’t appear immediately.
Enjoy Google Assistant
Done: your phone and Google think you’re using a Google Pixel XL and therefore let you use the voice assistant. If you want to go back, simply restore your build.prop file to its original state with your copy.
To get the most out of Google Assistant, don’t forget to grant all the permissions the Google app requests in your phone’s settings. Then keep pressing the “Home” button on your phone to see the wizard appear!
To get even more out of the developer’s new experience, install the Pixel Launcher APK to truly believe you’re in one of his newest Pixels!
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