Google Assistant has always been able to read SMS texts via the native Messages app or Google Hangouts. However, a lot of users use other messaging apps too for their day-to-day communication. As far as we know, Assistant can only send messages and not read messages in third-party apps, but that doesn't seem to be the case now.
Before the changes, telling Google Assistant to "read my messages" will prompt the AI to read your SMS texts, but it won't read all the other messages from other apps, including Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, GroupMe, and others. But a report from Android Police says that this has changed in the past few days. Google Assistant can now read texts from these apps, and it also allows you to send replies.
To do this, try saying "read my messages" to Assistant. You'll have to grant the Google app notification access if you haven't yet. After saying the command, a card will pop out with the last text and Assistant reads it aloud, including which app the message is from and who sent it. You're then given the option to dictate a reply or type it. Once done, your reply is sent, and the message will be marked as read.
You can do this over and over again, as Assistant will show you a carousel of received messages and will go through them one by one. Messages containing videos, pictures, or audio content won't be accessible, though, and you'll hear Assistant say, "the message just contains an audio attachment."
According to 91mobiles, this feature is new and if you think you've always had it, then you were part of the limited test. Some users have already reported that they already have this feature, solidifying the report that Google released the update silently for whatever reason. Android Police says it can even handle multiple languages but in a "limited capacity."
As of writing, we're pretty sure that the feature hasn't been rolled out to every Google user out there, so don't be surprised if it didn't work when you tried it out. Reviewers think this might be a part of a huge update, and Google is testing the waters to see how people would respond.
The read-aloud feature is great, especially if you're cooking, driving, or doing other things that require both your hands. With this update, you need not touch your phone to know who's messaging you.
