August lock on your door? Google Assistant will now tell you if it's open or closed

[sincity]

You've no doubt gotten that sinking feeling before; "Did I close the door on my way out?" We've turned our car around who knows how many times, unable to remember if we securely shut the front door or accidentally left it ajar.

Smart lock company August is looking to alleviate this worry with a little help from Google Assistant. The company has expanded Google Assistant support to DoorSense, its door sensing technology that can tell if your door is open or closed. 

Now, when you ask, "Hey Google, is my door closed?" you'll get a reply that it is... or it isn't. If it's closed, you can ask Google Assistant to turn the lock. 

DoorSense is available on the August Smart Lock and August Smart Lock Pro, and Google Assistant can be tapped into via an Android phone, the Google Assistant app on iOS, Google Home, Android Wear watches, and other Assistant compatible devices, including TVs.  

August also announced that it's simplified prompts for Google Assistant. Instead of having to tack "Ask August" to a command, you can (slightly more naturally) say something like, "Hey Google, lock my front door."

This is yet one more way voice assistants are making their way into our homes. The number of devices that support Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa is seemingly growing by the day, with deeper and smarter integration – like telling you whether your door is open – following close behind. 

• ICYMI: Amazon snatched up smart doorbell maker Ring

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/Vs5eAt6K99s