For one, Assistant can ask for your location in mid-conversation. If you want to get a lift to a place near your home, Google can supply the position on demand. Third-party apps can also cut out the introductory fluff if it's not your first time using them through Assistant. And Actions now work in seven new languages, including Hindi, Indonesian, Thai, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish.

These may seem like modest updates, but they could be vital. Google is determined to bring Assistant to as many Android phones as it can (95 percent of all compatible phones by the end of 2018), and that means accommodating as many countries as possible. And if you're going to trust Assistant, it needs to fulfill as many expectations as possible -- even if that means passing the baton to another app.