Set up Google Assistant on your Pixel Tablet

You can get help and information from Google Assistant on your Pixel Tablet without unlocking it. This article explains how to activate Google Assistant, set it up to recognize your voice, enable personal results, link to music and video services, let guests and children use "Hey Google," and more.

Note: Some features aren’t available in all countries or languages.

 

Important:

• Some of these steps work only on Android 15 and up. Learn how to update your Android version.
• Some features aren't available in all countries or languages. 

• To dock your Pixel Tablet and use Hub Mode, you need a Charging Speaker Dock.
• You might need to unlock the tablet before you can use Google Assistant voice commands to play news, radio, podcasts, or other media from certain apps and services.
• When you download the Gemini mobile app and set up Gemini as your primary assistant, it will replace Google Assistant when your tablet is unlocked. Your Pixel Tablet will continue to use Google Assistant when locked, including in Hub Mode.
• If a feature you rely on isn’t supported in your Gemini mobile app, you can switch back to Google Assistant. Learn how to switch back to Google Assistant.

Use Google Assistant without unlocking your Pixel Tablet

Enable Google Assistant on your lock screen to say "Hey Google" and get hands-free help while your tablet is locked. If you don't turn on this setting when you set up your tablet, you can access it from your settings later:

1. Open your device's Settings app tap Apps.
2. Tap Assistant Lock screen turn on Assistant responses on lock screen.
3. To turn off this setting, tap it again.

Even if you turn on Google Assistant on your lock screen, you'll still need to unlock your device for help with:

• Payments
• Google Photos
• Requests to open other apps
• Questions with personal info, such as your address or flight details.

Important: If you enable power button control of Assistant, anyone can activate it by pressing and holding the power button.

Set up Voice Match and enable Personal Results on your Pixel Tablet

The first person to set up an account on a Google Pixel Tablet is considered the primary user. When you set up your tablet as the primary user, you can enable Voice Match to teach Assistant to recognize your voice and give you personalized answers with Personal Results.

Teach Assistant to recognize your voice with Voice Match

Teach Assistant to recognize your voice in your settings:

1. Sign in to the primary user's Google Account.
2. Open your device's Settings app tap Apps.
3. Tap Assistant Hey Google & Voice Match turn on Hey Google.
4. Tap Voice model.
   • To set up a new voice, follow the on-screen instructions.
   • To retain the existing voice, tap Retrain Voice Match model follow the on-screen instructions.
   • To remove the existing voice, tap Delete Voice Match model OK.

Tip: Only the primary user can set up a voice model. You can turn off Voice Match at any time.

Important: If you have downloaded the Gemini mobile app and set up Gemini as your primary assistant when your device is unlocked, you can also use your voice to get help from your Gemini mobile app with “Hey Google” and Voice Match, powered by Google Assistant. Learn more.

 

Enable Personal Results

With personal results enabled, when you say "Hey Google" you can get:

• Results from your Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Photos, and Messages
• Recommendations for recipes based on your activity across other Google products
• Playlists you've created and marked as "Private" on YouTube
• YouTube Music personal playlists, liked songs, uploads, or library content

Note: If you press and hold the power button to activate Assistant, your Assistant won't be able to give you Personal Results. Your Assistant will only provide Personal Results if it can verify that you're the one talking when you say "Hey Google."

How to turn on Personal Results

1. Open your device's Settings app tap Apps.
2. Tap Assistant Personal results.
3. Turn on Personal Results.
   • To get Personal Results through your headphones, turn on On headphones.

Learn how to allow personal results on all of your Assistant-enabled devices.

Important: If you have downloaded the Gemini mobile app and set up Gemini as your primary assistant, some Google Assistant settings, like personal results, lock screen, and calendar, won’t apply when you use Extensions. Your Gemini Apps Activity will be used to help with action requests, like to select a frequent contact or app.

Link music and video services to Assistant

To listen to music and watch videos using Assistant, you can link your favorite streaming services in your Assistant settings. You can also link multiple services to your account if you have a Charging Speaker Dock and set up Hub Mode on your tablet. You can also link them in your device's settings:

1. Open your device's Settings app tap Apps.
2. Tap Assistant.
3. Tap one of these options in the list:
   • Music
   • Videos
   • Radio
   • Podcasts
4. To link a service or make it your default, tap it follow the on-screen instructions
   • If you want to unlink a service from your account, tap Unlink Unlink account.
   • To relink a service, tap Link Link account.

• If services don't need to be linked, just tap the name of the Service.

Learn more about how to link music, video, radio, and podcasts services to Assistant.

Enable or disable power button control

You can choose whether or not your digital assistant from Google is activated when you press and hold the power button on your Pixel Tablet. To change this setting:

1. Open your device's Settings app .
2. Tap System Gestures Press & hold power button.
3. Choose a setting:
   • Power menu: Hold down the power button to bring up the power menu.
   • Digital assistant: Hold down the power button to activate your digital assistant from Google. To change how long you have to hold down the power button, drag the slider left or right.

Set up parental controls and Digital Wellbeing filters

Parental controls and Digital Wellbeing tools let you place limits on when and how your Pixel Tablet and tablet apps are used. Set up supervision for your child and create timers that limit interruptions or track and limit the time that users spend in specific apps.

Set up parental controls

After you set up a child's account on your tablet, you can supervise and control the content they experience. To set up parental controls:

1. Open your device's Settings app tap Digital Wellbeing & parental controls.
2. Under "Parental controls", tap the profile you want to supervise.
3. In the Family Link menu, tap the tool you want to set up or change.

Learn more about Family Link and parental controls.

Digital Wellbeing

To access and set up Digital Wellbeing tools:

1. Open your device's Settings app tap Digital Wellbeing & parental controls.
2. Tap an option to check your current settings or set new ones.

Learn more about Digital Wellbeing:

• Set up Digital Wellbeing tools
• Manage how you spend time with Digital Wellbeing

Activate Google Assistant on your Pixel Tablet

You can activate Google Assistant when your tablet is locked and docked in Hub Mode or undocked and held in your hand.

Important: To dock your Pixel Tablet or use Hub Mode, you need a Charging Speaker Dock. You can purchase the Pixel Tablet with or without a dock, or purchase a dock separately.

Use Assistant when you remove the Pixel Tablet from its dock

To activate Assistant when you remove the tablet from the dock, you can:

• Say "Hey Google" or "OK Google."
• Press and hold the power button.

Note: If you have downloaded the Gemini mobile app and set up Gemini as your primary assistant, your tablet will use Gemini when you say “Hey Google” when it’s unlocked. When your tablet is locked, Assistant will respond when the primary user says "Hey Google."

Use Assistant in Hub Mode

To activate Assistant in Hub Mode:

• Say "Hey Google" or “OK Google."
  • Note: You need to enable Assistant on the lock screen for Assistant to respond to "Hey Google" when the tablet is locked.
• Press and hold the power button.

Let guests and children use Assistant in Hub Mode

When your tablet is locked and docked, you can let Assistant respond to anyone, including guests and children, when they say "Hey Google." They can ask Assistant questions, play music, control smart home devices, and more.

1. Open your device's Settings app .
2. Tap Hub Mode Assistant Let anyone talk to Assistant in Hub Mode.
3. To turn this setting off, tap it again.

Let anyone in your home ask Assistant to play media

To use Google Assistant to stream movies and music in Hub Mode, you need to turn on this setting:

1. Open your device's Settings app .
2. Tap Hub Mode Assistant turn on Use Assistant to play music, movies, and more when your tablet is locked.

Turn Google Assistant on or off

If you don't set up Google Assistant when you set up your Pixel Tablet, you can turn Assistant on or off at any time in your device's settings:

1. Open your device's Settings app tap Apps.
2. Tap Assistant General
3. Turn Google Assistant on or off.
   • To turn Assistant on, tap Google Assistant Turn on.
   • To turn Assistant off, tap Google Assistant Turn off.

After Assistant is enabled, you can change how Assistant responds to your voice.

Related articles

• Use Google Assistant in Hub Mode on your Pixel Tablet
• Let your child use Google Assistant on your devices
• Get started with the Gemini mobile app​