Google is going to introduce a feature to Assistant which enables users to send reminders to family and friends, removing the need to remember to text or call each other, or make a note, about what needs to be done.

Assignable reminders mean that users can ask Google Assistant to remind others to complete tasks – or even send messages of encouragement – at specific times. In order to set a reminder, users can say “Hey Google, remind Bob to walk the dog at 7pm” or “Hey Google, remind Karen that she’s going to break a leg in tomorrow’s performance”, for example. The recipient of the reminder will get a notification on their Assistant-enabled devices and be notified again at the specific time set by the initial sender. Users can also see what reminders they have assigned to a person by asking “Hey Google, what reminders have I set for [insert name]”.

The reminder feature goes a step further than just being able to set reminders based on time. It can also be used to set location-based reminders with a specific address or landmark. This means you can say “Hey Google, remind [insert name] to pick up chocolates when he/she gets to [insert address/landmark”. Assistant will then create a reminder to pop-up when it recognises that person has arrived at the location. Of course, the person’s ‘location’ setting must be activated.

Reminders can only be sent to people who are in the same Google family group or those who have their accounts linked to the same smart display or speaker and are voice matched. Recipients must also be in the senders’ Google Contacts.

The feature will be available over the next few weeks in English on smartphones, speakers, and smart displays in the US, UK, and Australia, and will work with Google Next Hub Max when it becomes available later this year.