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Google Assistant update makes Whirlpool voice commands a breeze

You'll no longer have to tell the voice-activated assistant to "ask Whirlpool" when you make commands.

Ashlee Clark Thompson Associate Editor
Ashlee spent time as a newspaper reporter, AmeriCorps VISTA and an employee at a healthcare company before she landed at CNET. She loves to eat, write and watch "Golden Girls" (preferably all three at the same time). The first two hobbies help her out as an appliance reviewer. The last one makes her an asset to trivia teams. Ashlee also created the blog, AshleeEats.com, where she writes about casual dining in Louisville, Kentucky.
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Your voice commands to control Whirlpool's smart ranges and other appliances will get a little shorter. 

 Chris Monroe/CNET

Soon, you'll be able to cut down on chitchat with your Whirlpool   appliances .

Whirlpool announced Tuesday at Google I/O conference a new feature that lets you control its internet-connected appliances without giving a specific Whirlpool voice command to Google Assistant .

So instead of "OK Google , ask Whirlpool to preheat the oven to 400 degrees," you'll only have to say, "OK Google, preheat the oven to 400 degrees." Whirlpool says the change will take effect later this year.

The company also announced it will enable appliances in the KitchenAid and Maytag brands (of which Whirlpool is the parent company) to work with Google Home later this year.

Previously Google tried to make it easier for manufacturers to connect products to Assistant with the addition of Custom Device Actions. These let developers create "more natural ways in which users interact with their Assistant-enabled devices."

Following Whirlpool's announcement, Google said it anticipates that more device manufacturers will begin to use the Custom Device Actions feature.

Stay tuned for more news from the Google I/O conference.