How to Turn Your Old Android Phone into a Google Assistant-Powered Smart Speaker
Smart Assistants Are All the Rage These Days, and Rightfully So - All of the Major Players on the Market Have Either Released a Couple of These or Revealed...
Yes, we know you're probably raising your eyebrows a lot right now, but we bet that the thought has definitely crossed your minds. After all, there are merely a couple of things that set the dedicated gizmos from your mundane Android device as far as AI is concerned.
The Android device, a.k.a. "The Brains"
What apps would you need on your device?
Your music-playback app of choice, be it Spotify, Google Play Music, YouTube, Pandora, TuneIn, etc, but you can also ask your assistant to use other music services, too.
Other popular apps like Netflix, Google Maps, Google Photos, Google Calendar and Keep, should also be installed and configured on your device if you use them daily. Everything is super-logical, you see.
Finally, if you have a bunch of smart home appliances, you should pair them with your Google Assistant in order to control them easily and seamlessly with your voice, just like you'd do with a Google Home or an Amazon Echo.
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An external speaker, a.k.a. "The Muscle"
Your best bet is to hook up your Android device to a standalone speaker or whatever dedicated audio system you might have by either Bluetooth or an aux port. The high-end the system, the more suitable it will be for music listening, which is one of the key functionalities of smart speakers, especially the pricier ones.
An important prerequisite is that you keep your speaker juiced up or constantly plugged on - one of the appeals (or put-offs, depending who you ask) of smart speakers is their always-on functionality and meddling with wires and knobs to turn the speaker on sounds like a hassle that shouldn't be avoided.
Maya is a hardware enthusiast who tests and reviews smart home devices, smartphones, wearables, and audio gear. She focuses on practical consumer value and build quality.
