Bose Corp. has launched its latest wireless, noise-canceling headphones, which will give wearers access to more than just music thanks to the incorporation of Google Assistant.

Google Inc. unveiled its digital assistant a year ago and although it’s available in phones, speakers and other appliances, the Bose QC 35 II headphones become the first headphones to be compatible with Assistant. Once paired with an iPhone or Android phone, users will be able to access messages, music playlists and more with a push of the button on the headphones.

At the company’s I/O conference earlier this year, Google announced that more appliances would offer support for Google Assistant, with supported products displaying “Google Assistant Built In” badges.” LG Corp. and General Electric Co. are two of the first integrations who will be offering Assistant support in various home appliances including fridges, ovens, washers and dryers, an LG air purifier and an air conditioner and water heater from GE.

Google, however, faces strong competition from Amazon.com Inc.’s own digital assistant Alexa. GE already offers Alexa support, while LG launched an Alexa-enabled fridge at the start of the year. Amazon also announced an open source toolkit called AVS Device Software Development Kit, which will make it easier to get Alexa onto more devices.

Here’s a look at the Google Assistant features on the Bose QC 35 II headphones:

Bose QC 35 II headphones

Like its predecessor, the QC 35 II headphones offer the same noise cancellation, audio performance features and up to 20 hours of battery life. Wearers have access to the same controls on the right earcup, including audio volume and the multi-function button for incoming calls and accessing Siri.

The updated headphones also provide users with more control of the noise cancellation feature. While the feature is fully activated when the headphones are on, the Bose Connect App will allow users to keep it on (high), turn it down (low) or disable it completely (off).

A lawsuit filed earlier this year alleges that the Bose Connect App is spying on its users. The plaintiff alleges that the app, which is mandatory for all users, collects data, including music choice and audio books that users listen to on the company’s headphones.

The Bose QC 35 II headphones will retail for $350.

Google Assistant features

To get started, connect your headphones to your iPhone or Android smartphone via Bluetooth.

To set up Google Assistant on your Android device, press and hold the home button to open Google Assistant > follow the on-screen instructions.

To set up Google Assistant on your iPhone, either open the app or download it from the App Store > follow the on-screen instructions. Google announced the availability of Assistant on iPhone at its I/O conference in May.

Google Assistant is easily accessible by pushing the Action button on the left earcup of the QC 35 II headphones.

Talk to your Google Assistant: Press and hold the Action button to start. Google Assistant will be able to provide you updates on weather, add items to grocery lists, set reminders, make calls, send messages and more.

Say “Ok Google” followed by one of the example instructions below:

• “Read my new text messages.”
• “Call Mom.”
• “Navigate home.”
• “Play some pop music.”
• “What’s the weather?”
• “Will I need an umbrella today?”
• “How do you say ‘Hello’ in French?”
• “How many pounds are in one dollar?”
• “Remind me to pick up the dry cleaning at 4 PM”
• “Add bread to my shopping list.”
• “Are there any coffee shops nearby?”
• “Set a timer for 30 minutes.”

Get your notifications: Press the Action button to get any notifications from Google Assistant. To stop Google Assistant, simply double press the Action button.

Reply to a message: After receiving a message notification, press and hold the Action button to respond > release the button when you are done.

The Google Assistant features are currently only available in the U.S., Australia, Canada, Germany, France and the U.K. In other markets, the Action button will control noise settings only.

Image: Bose