For the last few years, you've been able to say "Stop" to tell Google Assistant to end an alarm early without the need to preface your command with "Hey Google." It's a handy feature Google first debuted on Assistant-enabled smart displays and speakers before later rolling it out to Pixel smartphones. And for the most part, it works like a charm, though one person recently discovered a fun quirk of the feature that involves the Pixies classic "Where Is My Mind?" In a Reddit post spotted by Android Police, Pixel user "asevarte" recounts how their morning alarm would go off and sometimes turn off moments later for seemingly no reason. "Maybe once every other week or so, I would wake up 30 minutes later on my backup alarm, with no indication as to why the first shut itself off," they told the Google Pixel subreddit.

Smartphones have made it easier than ever to tune your guitar. All you have to do these days is find a decent tuning app or ask Google Assistant to tune your instrument. Now Google has made the process even more painless by launching a chromatic tuner right within Search. The tech giant has told Android Police that it has just rolled out the new Search feature, which can be accessed on pretty much any device. Unlike the Assistant function that needs, well, a device that can access the voice assistant, you can summon this tuner simply by doing a query in Search on mobile or desktop.

Google Assistant already works with Hue and other smart lights, but functionality has been limited to turning them on and off, using them with alarms and a few other features. Now, you can schedule lights and other electric devices to turn on and off at specific and even general times, as Android Police and Reddit users have noted. The feature works via Google's "Scheduled Actions" feature. That allows you to say "Hey Google, turn on the lights at 7 AM," for example. You can set times for the current day or any other day over the next week by saying "Hey Google, turn on my coffee maker at 8 AM tomorrow," or "run my sprinkler in a week at 5 PM," for example.

Google's new Home Mini voice assistant has been spying on some of its users, due to a "phantom" issue. The device is designed to respond to your questions, but only after you say "Okay Google" or "Hey Google", or tap and hold a touch panel on it. However, an early release model has been found to be recording its owner all the time, without him realising. Android Police's Artem Russakovskii, who received a Google Home Mini at the company's recent Pixel launch event and kept it in his bathroom, reported the extremely serious issue to Google last week. "It was waking up thousands of times a day, recording, then sending those recordings to Google," he said.

New features for Google Home and Google Assistant were discovered recently. The Home smart speaker now features a Night Mode, while Assistant now comes with a male voice. One of the problems with Google Home and other smart speakers is their volume remains static. For example, if a user sets the volume at the highest level while listening to music, the Google Assistant's voice will also have the same level of volume. The new Night Mode feature was first discovered by Android Police through the Google Home preview program.

Google will unveil a new Pixel Chromebook as well as a miniature version of Google Home at its upcoming hardware event, according to a source. If true, that would make the new laptop the fist Pixel-branded computer since 2015 and would mean the new Pixel 2 phone wouldn't be the only big release of the event. The firm is also reportedly getting ready to launch smart headphones with direct access to Google Assistant, although it is not clear if it will be revealed alongside the other new devices. It is believed Google is also getting ready to announce smart headphones that will give users direct access to Google Assistant, similar to the futuristic technology in the film Her. The Google product is codenamed Bistro.

Google's next iPhone killer, the Pixel XL has been revealed in a new series of renders. The images, created by @onleaks and MySmartPrice, show the handset's new look, and most notably, its lack of a headphone socket. Previous leaked have also claimed it may also have a hidden feature - squeezable edges. The images, created by @onleaks and MySmartPrice, show the handset's new look, and most notably, its lack of a headphone socket. 'The phones feature considerably less bezel compared to the Pixel and the Pixel XL, said mysmartprice.com

Google's next iPhone killer, the Pixel XL has been revealed in a new leaked image. According to Android Police, the picture shows a second generation Pixel XL, the larger of the two Pixel devices, with a 6inch screen. It is believed the handset will be made by LG, and will feature a radical'squeezable' frame. According to Android Police, the picture shows a second generation Pixel XL, the larger of the two Pixel devices, with a 6inch screen. The site says it is'exceptionally confident' the image is real.

A new rumor is circulating that the Google Assistant, Google's own voice assistant, will be heading to Apple's iPhones. It is currently believed that Google will announce its plans during its I/O conference this week. Google will announce Google Assistant for Apple's iOS devices as a standalone app, a "trusted source" told Android Police. The app could be announced at Google's I/O conference which takes place in the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California from May 17 to May 19. Android Police's report states that Google Assistant on iOS will blend the "chat" style functionality that's currently available on Google's smart messaging app, Allo, and the voice-controlled version of the Assistant that's on Android Nougat smartphones.

One of the best features of Google Home is the ability to control all of the smart devices in your house, letting you turn on the lights or set the thermostat without fiddling with any apps or controls. Now you can use Google Assistant on your Pixel phone to do the same thing. First spotted by Android Police, the settings menu in Google Assistant on the Pixel adds a new tab for Home control, letting you talk to your various devices without lifting a finger. And you don't need you have a Google Home to do it. Previously, the Pixel could interact with the Home to operate Nest smart devices, but now your phone can do it all on its own.