Google Assistant Will Sing You a New Year Song, and It’s Terrible

Say ‘Ok Google, sing the new year song’ and prepare for the cringe fest.

By Ali Pardiwala | Updated: 30 December 2020 13:39 IST

Google Assistant Will Sing You a New Year Song, and It’s Terrible

Use a Google Assistant-enabled device with a display to also summon this strange dancing object

Highlights

Google Assistant is now singing a new year song on demand
It works on all Google Assistant-enabled devices
Devices with a display also get an animation to go with the song

Google Assistant is capable of many things, including the ability to now sing a song on demand. While it's a bit impressive that the voice assistant is able to do so in various languages including English (India), it's worth pointing out here that this song is really weird, and the singing is terribly off-key and cringe-worthy in the same way you would expect if you asked a robot to sing. The song can be summoned by saying “Ok Google, sing the new year song” on any Google Assistant-enabled device.

The new ‘feature,' if that's what you can call it, was announced by Google through a tweet, accompanied by an animation. I tried it on Google Nest Audio, and immediately regretted my decision, even though the song didn't last too long. With odd lyrics that transition from motivational to promoting Google's search capabilities in a matter of seconds, this song is just as bad as the year has been.

If you use a smart display such as Google Nest Hub or an Android phone, you'll also see an animation of a strange circular pixelated object dancing to the song. It's all really weird, but I would highly recommend listening to it to simply understand how odd life have become at this point. Hear it a couple of more times if you must, and then stew on it while you think of how strange 2020 has been and how this strange song is an apt end to it.

On a more serious note, Google Assistant has seen significant improvements over the years, and is now arguably one of the best major voice assistants available today. The company recently launched Google Nest Audio, that combines Google Assistant's capabilities with good sound quality at under Rs. 10,000. Xiaomi also launched Mi Smart Speaker recently, that provides a big, loud sound at a much lower price of Rs. 3,999. Regardless of how good the speaker is though, Google's new year song for 2020 will still be bad.

Is HomePod mini the best smart speaker under Rs. 10,000? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Google Nest Audio

REVIEW
KEY SPECS

Design
Smart Features
Audio Quality
Value For Money

Good
Looks pretty good
Smart functionality is top-notch
Microphones can hear you clearly from far away
Loud, detailed, refined sound

Bad
Nothing, really

Read detailed Google Nest Audio review

Model Nest Audio

Touchpad Yes

Display included No

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Further reading: Google, Google Assistanat, Google Nest Audio, Google Nest Hub, 2020, New Year 2021, Smart Speakers

Ali Pardiwala Email Ali

Ali Pardiwala writes about audio and video devices for Gadgets 360 out of Mumbai, and has covered the industry for a decade now. Ali is a Senior Reviewer for Gadgets 360, where he has regularly written about televisions, home entertainment, and mobile gaming as well. He is a firm believer in 4K and HDR on televisions, and believes that true wireless earphones are the future of the personal audio industry. Ali is available on Twitter as @AliusPardius and on email at alip@ndtv.com, so do send in ...More