Actions on Google: Start developing applications for Google Assistant, which will soon be launched in Russia

Hi, Habr! In the coming months, Google Assistant will appear in Russia to make your communication with the search engine more natural and similar to a real dialogue. The assistant will help you find the necessary information with your voice - be it the weather, traffic congestion on the way to work, information about your favorite actors and much more. And he will allow users to interact with applications - thanks to Actions on Google.

With the help of Actions on Google, you can develop your applications ( actions ) for the Assistant and thus expand its functionality and, therefore, make it even more useful for users. And it’s worth starting to do it today, as Google Assistant will appear in Russia very soon. As soon as the service becomes available, users will be able to interact with your applications through a dialogue - exactly the same way as in other situations where you can use the Assistant, for example, when searching for information on the Internet.

How it works?

Actions on Google allows you to develop applications (not to be confused with native applications for phones!), Which are based on dialogue. They are created specifically for Google Assistant and give users the opportunity to solve their problems using your products or services. When you create an application for the Assistant, you develop dialogs for various devices, such as an oral dialogue for smart speakers or a visual dialogue for mobile phone screens. When launched in Russia, the Assistant will be available only on smartphones.

How can I develop an application for Google Assistant?

Even if you have a wealth of experience in creating web and mobile applications, developing for a conversational interface can be difficult, but also very interesting! And before you begin, we advise you to explore our resources for developers:

• An introduction to working with Actions on Google can be found here.
• To create a fully customized dialog, try Dialogflow . It is an engine that uses machine learning technology based on NLU (natural language understanding), necessary for creating dialogues for various platforms.
• And if you are interested in creating a very simple and short dialogue, and there are few options for how the user can access the application, use the Actions SDK . Such cases do not require an extensive understanding of the language and usually solve a single use case.

Before publication, each application undergoes a thorough review to determine if it meets the quality requirements. As soon as the Assistant will be launched in Russia, and your application will be tested, you will be able to publish it through the Actions on Google platform.

For inspiration, explore the ready-made apps here . There is no content in Russian yet. Not yet! Feel free to become the first developer to publish the application in our native language . And if you already have applications in English, read the guide for creating localized applications and adapt it!

To prepare for the launch of the Assistant, we suggest that you start by developing and testing your application using the built-in simulator . Study these documents to get acquainted with the best user guides and learn how to make the application easy to find for users by the time the Assistant is launched in Russia.

Get started right now by exploring the information on Actions on Google on the developer site . See also our video tutorials or join the Actions on Google developer community .

Looking forward to your projects!