Disney+ is a one-of-a-kind experience that transcends generations. Whether it’s a classic like Snow White or the new, live-action series The Mandalorian, Disney+ has something for everyone to love. And starting today, you can navigate Disney+ content on Google Assistant-enabled Smart Displays, like Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max, in select markets around the globe—just by using your voice. 

If you have a Disney+ subscription, simply link your account in the Google Home or Assistant app and you can play movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and more. Say, “Hey Google, play ‘The Mandalorian’ on Disney+” to start streaming instantly. You can also already cast Disney+ from your compatible mobile devices to your Nest Smart Displays and Assistant-enabled devices by opening the streaming service’s mobile app and tapping the Cast icon, or stream anytime on your Android TV.

And there are more ways Google is bringing the Disney experience home: 

Dress up your Mini as Mickey 

Our friends at OtterBox created a custom base accessory that lets you give your Google Home and Nest Mini Mickey Mouse makeovers. Just clip your device into the base to showcase Mickey’s iconic ears in any room. 

Journey through the world of “Frozen” 

Join some of your “Frozen” favorites—Anna, Elsa, Olaf, and Kristoff—around the campfire as they tell legends exploring the world of “Frozen 2.” You can hear these stories on Google Assistant-enabled Android and iOS phones, smart speakers and Smart Displays. To get started, just say, “Hey Google, tell me a ‘Frozen’ story” and you can pick which character you’d like to narrate.

Whether you’re indulging in nostalgia or experiencing a new generation of movies for the first time, Google now makes it easier than ever for everyone to enjoy Disney. 

Two years ago, we introduced Google Assistant Snapshot, a new way to stay on top of your day with Google Assistant. Now, we're adding a few updates to make Snapshot more helpful, and proactive, in keeping you ahead of your upcoming tasks while also providing you with recommended activities and more, all in one place on Android or iOS devices.

See a summary of your most important tasks 

In addition to the essential information you’ve grown to rely on like your agenda, commute times and reminders to pay your credit card, you’ll now start to see a summary of other important tasks right at the top—things like reminders for upcoming birthdays and holidays. Your Snapshot will adjust based on the time of day and your interactions with Google Assistant. For example, in the morning you will see a card about your commute, weather, to-dos and top headlines. 

Find helpful recommendations for dinner, activities and podcasts

Beyond that, we’re also adding tailored recommendations based on your preferences for recipes, podcasts and even nearby restaurants that deliver. Want some dinner inspiration? Just tap to check out new recipes you may want to try. You’ll also see recipe recommendations during different times of the day. 

Just say “Hey Google, show me my day” to get started

Currently, you can view your Snapshot by activating Google Assistant and tapping on the icon in the bottom left corner. Now we’re making it even easier: Just say, “Hey Google, show me my day.” This functionality is live for those using English as their default language and will continue to roll out to additional languages in the coming months.

Get important notifications from your Google Assistant 

Snapshot is the best place to see everything you’ve got going on in one place, and for important tasks right around the corner, Google Assistant will send a notification to make sure you don't miss it. Google Assistant can send notifications to your phone with important information like flight and event updates, upcoming bills and due date reminders, and we’re adding even more features to help you stay on top of your day. In English-speaking markets, we’ll be adding upcoming birthdays. When you tap on the notification, you’ll be taken to the related Snapshot card to take action with suggestions like calling, texting or even singing a personalized birthday song. 

This is just the beginning. We will continue to explore new ways for Google Assistant to be there to help before you even need to ask for it.

If you're like me, you're more than ready to at least start thinking about a future getaway. Or maybe your travel remains essential and you are still on the road. Whatever reason is driving you to consider staying in a hotel room, you know you want to take as many precautions as possible. With Google’s new hospitality solution, we are partnering with hotels of every size to bring the best of Google to your hotel while also helping make your stay more contactless.

Use your voice to access guest amenities 

From a Nest Hub smart display set up in each hotel room, hotels can tailor the guest experience with Google to specifically address common service requests from guests through a simple voice command. So you can say things like  “Hey Google, schedule a wake up call,” or “Hey Google, ask my hotel for extra towels,” or “Hey Google, what time does the pool close?” and get answers immediately. 

At some hotels, you can also start a fast check out using Google Assistant when your stay is over so you don’t have to stand in line. For hotels, this ensures fast turnover for the next guest. Google Assistant can even surface a mid-stay survey to gauge satisfaction level, and the hotel is notified if something is going poorly. Hotels can even promote current or upcoming specials by providing a summary when you ask “Hey Google, tell me about the specials.” 

Enjoy your personal hotel media hub

The Nest Hub is also a great device for hands-free, in-room entertainment: Guests can access YouTube to find news, music and exercise videos, all through voice command. You can connect your phone via Bluetooth to play your own music, too. Use Google Assistant to turn the volume up or down, or skip a track, hands-free. The new experience can also be configured by the hotel to let you control and manage devices in the room, like blinds, TVs, lights and more.  

Find local answers, easily

You can ask for the weather forecast, learn about local sites and  get news updates from Google Assistant. You can even find updated hours for restaurants and shops, as well as other info related to COVID-19 (including symptoms and prevention provided by the CDC) in your area. Depending on where you're visiting, you can use Google Assistant to make restaurant reservations. 

While convenience is important, we’re also dedicated to protecting privacy. You won’t need to sign into the device, and no activity will be linked to your personal account. There is no camera on the Nest Hub, and the physical mic switch can be turned off for additional privacy. No audio is ever stored, and any activities will be immediately wiped from the device when it’s reset for the next guest. 

Today you can experience the best of Google at hotels including Fairmont Princess in Scottsdale, Dr. Wilkinson’s Resortin Calistoga, Gale and Shelborne South Beach in Miami, Gansevoort Meatpacking and Synergy Chelsea in New York City, Hotel Zena and Viceroy D.C., as well as Village Hotels in the U.K. 

Additional hotel partnerships coming soon. To learn more about Google’s new hospitality solution and how to bring it to your guests, we’d love to hear from you. We partner with trusted system integrators, including Volara and SONIFI, to help customize this system to your business and branding needs. 

Like many people, I went through my fair share of "quarantine trends." I baked all kinds of bread and organized a closet or two. Plenty of activities momentarily kept my interest over the last five months, but one thing that isn't going anywhere? Video calling. While I miss visiting in person, for me, the next best thing has been video calls. Nest Hub Max and Google Assistant already offer a host of ways to stay connected with Duo and Google Meet. And soon you’ll have one more option to use the video calling service of your choice: Zoom is coming to Assistant-enabled Smart Displays, including Nest Hub Max, by the end of the year.

We want everyone to be able to keep in touch while staying safe, and that's why we want you to be able to use the video calling option of your choice. Here's a quick run-down of some of the various ways you can use your Nest Hub Max and Google Assistant to stay in touch: 

Gather for group calls

It’s easy to start or join a group video call on your Nest Hub Max. You can say “Hey Google, start a meeting” to connect with up to 100 people with Google Meet, and soon, anyone with a Zoom account—whether it’s free or paid—will also be able to join a video call from their Hub Max or other Assistant-enabled Smart Display. With Meet or Zoom, you can easily move from one call to the next. To join your next meeting, say "Hey Google, join my next meeting" to easily connect to the next call on your personal Google Calendar. 

You can easily invite others to join your Meet group video call from your phone with the Assistant app for Android or iOS. Beta support for G Suite accounts is also available to sign up for at g.co/gsuiteassistantbeta. 

With Duo, simply create groups in the Duo mobile app and then ask your Hub Max, “Hey Google, make a group call,” and tap on the Duo group you want to connect with. Don’t have time for a call? Duo lets you leave video messages from your Hub Max: Just say “Hey Google, leave a video message for Linda,” or send a video message from your phone for someone to see when they walk up to the Hub Max.

Put your VIPs on “speed dial”

Whether it’s the people you call every day, or the contacts that you want handy at any time (like your dog walker or babysitter), household contacts are the new “speed dial.” Once set up, anyone in your household can say "Hey Google, call Alex” or tap on Alex’s name on your Nest Hub Max’s household contacts list.

Communicate around the house with ease

You’ve always been able to broadcast a message across the entire house, but now ringing the dinner bell is even easier with broadcasting to a room or specific device. Say “Hey Google, broadcast to the study room, ‘Dinner is ready!’” Or if you’re headed home with tonight’s takeout, you can let your family know you’re almost there by asking your Assistant-enabled phone, “Hey Google, broadcast ‘I’m pulling into the driveway soon.'"

Whether it’s for work or play, we’re here for your communication needs. And now you have even more options to stay in touch with Google. 

As a new parent, my Nest home audio system has become a go-to, whether it’s to keep my daughter entertained during bathtime with some music...or keep myself entertained with a podcast while I’m making a bottle at 3 a.m. Controlling the audio throughout my home, no matter who’s listening, has been incredibly helpful. 

Today, we’re expanding that control. You can already manually group Nest devices in order to play the same music on various speakers at the same time, and now we’re launching multi-room control so you can dynamically group multiple cast-enabled Nest devices (speakers, Smart Displays, Chromecasts) in real-time to fill multiple rooms with music. Multi-room control works with your favorite audio apps, including YouTube Music, Spotify, Pandora and more. If you have more than one Google Assistant-enabled smart speaker or Smart Display, tap the icon in the bottom left corner of the screen when any audio content is playing, and you’ll easily be able to add or remove your other devices throughout your home.

This update helps Nest devices come together as a whole-home audio system. Here are a few other ways I take advantage of mine:  

• Move music from one room to another: Stream transfer lets you easily move music, videos, podcasts and more between compatible devices in your home using your voice, the Google Home app or the touchscreen on your Nest smart display.

• Experience stereo sound: Stereo pair two Nest Mini or Google Home Max devices in the Google Home app for room-filling sound and even more immersive left and right channel separation. 

• Get new music recommendations: YouTube Music and Spotify Premium subscribers can ask, “Hey Google, recommend some music” and Google Assistant will offer multiple choices from artists and genres that they like, and others like them to choose from.