3 Efficient Ways to Supply Your App with a Virtual Assistant

The onrush of technology definitely opens new opportunities for users but it also can be challenging for developers. In the near future, the availability of a voice interface in an app may be considered a par for the course. The applications that don't use this may end up with the short end of the stick. So, if you want to keep up with the times, give careful consideration to smart voice innovations. We are going to inspect some aspects of the mobile app development services supplied with virtual assistants right away and talk a bit about how to create AI assistant.

There are three ways to make your app understand verbal language and keep up a conversation.

Each method is worthy of attention. Note that the big names like Apple or Google reluctantly offer their beloved creations to the third-party developers. On the other hand, using open source tools may not meet your expectations. Also, creating an AI assistant like Siri on your own may become an impossible task.

To clarify all the benefits and risks you are going to encounter, let's consider each approach in details.

Siri, Google Now, and Cortana are the world-known names. Of course, there are many more mobile assistant apps on the shelves of app stores. You can check out a comprehensive list here. However, we are going to focus on the three technologies mentioned above because, according to the MindMeld research, they are preferred by the majority of users.

If you ever studied Siri, you certainly noticed that it was unavailable for most of the third-party applications. With iOS 10 release, the situation has changed a lot. At WWDC 2016, it was announced that Siri can be integrated with the apps that work in the following areas:

• Audio and video calls
• Messaging and contacts 
• Payments via Siri 
• Photos search 
• Workout Car booking 

To enable the integration, Apple's introduced a special SiriKit that consists of two frameworks. The first one covers the range of tasks to be supported in your app, and the second one advises on a custom visual representation when one of the tasks is performed.

Each of the app types above defines a certain range of tasks which are called intents. The term refers to the users' intentions and, as a result, to the particular scenarios of their behavior.

In SiriKit, all the intents have corresponding custom classes with defined properties. The properties accurately describe the task they belong to. For instance, if a user wants to start a workout, the properties may include the type of exercises and the time length of a session. Having received the voice request, the system completes the intent object with the defined characteristics and sends it to the app extension. The last part processes the data and show the correct result at the output.

You can find more information about how to work with intents and objects on Apple's official website. Below is a scheme on intents processing:

Remember the good cop, bad cop technique? Well, Google has always been the first one to show the maximum loyalty to developers. Unlike Apple, Google doesn't have strict requirements for design. The approvement period in the Play Market is much shorter and not as fastidious as in the Apple App Store too.

Nevertheless, in a question of smart assistant integration, it appears quite conservative. For now, Google assistant works with the selected apps only. The list includes such hot names as eBay, Lyft, Airbnb, and others. They are allowed to make their own Now Cards via special API.

The good news is that you still have a chance to create Google Assistant app command for your own app. For that, you need to register the application with Google.

Remember not to confuse Google Now with the voice commands. Now is not just about listening and responding. It is an intelligent creature that can learn, analyze, and conclude. Voice actions are the narrower concept. It works on the basis of speech recognition followed by information search.

Google provides the developers with a step by step guide for integrating such functionality into an app. Voice Actions API teaches how to include a voice mechanism both in mobile and wearable apps.

Microsoft encourages developers to use the Cortana voice assistant in their mobile and desktop apps. You can provide the users with an opportunity to set a voice control without directly calling Cortana. In the Cortana Dev Center, it describes how to make a request to a specific application. Basically, it offers three ways to integrate the app name into a voice command:

You can activate either the background or foreground app with speech commands through Cortana. The first type is suitable for apps with simple commands that don't require additional instructions, e.g., 'Show the current date and time!'. The second - for the apps that work with more complex commands, like 'Send the Hello message to Ann'. In the last case, besides setting the command, you specify it's parameters:

• What message? - Hello message
• Who should it be sent to? - To Ann.

The above technologies are not the only alternative for adjusting voice management in your app. There are numerous tools for developers who are keen on machine thinking. For your reference, I have arranged a list of the most notable ones. Both mobile and web services are included.

Melissa can speak, take notes, read news, upload pictures, play music, and do many other things. Written in Python, it works on OS X, Windows, and Linux. The web interface is developed with the help of JavaScript.

Jasper is written in Python. It can listen and learn. The first capability is introduced by the active module, the second - by the passive. Always being on, it is ready to perform the tasks at any moment of day or night. Silently studying your habits, it can provide you with the precise information just in time.

So, if you want to build your own voice assistant, you should consider Jasper. 

Api.ai has both free and paid versions. The last one enables working in a private cloud. So, if privacy is your priority, this is just what you need.

Api.ai provides a wide range of APIs including iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Cordova, Python, Node.js, Unity, C#, and others.

One pleasant thing is that you don't need to create the intents on your own. Wit.ai provides the developers with a long list to choose from. Another piece of good news is that it is totally free both for public and private usage. However, to create your own personal assistant with the help of Wit.ai, you should follow it's terms.

As well as Api.ai, Wit.ai introduces a variety of APIs for iOS, Android, Ruby, Python, Windows Phone, C, and Raspberry Pi developers. Frontend developers will be delighted with the fact that it also has a plugin for JavaScript. It's a great solution to create a voice assistant for various platforms.

If you intend to to make your own Siri or Google assistant, make sure that you do possess the appropriate skills and sources, because this process is far from simple.

Note that voice and text data may be processed either on a server or directly within a device. In the picture below, we have shown the scheme that works with the server participation.

As you can see, each approach has it's weak and strong points. Siri, Google Now, and Cortana are well known among users. A lot of people would prefer interacting with a familiar and trusted technology. Yet, these mobile assistants have some limitations as for integration with the third-party apps. Also, they differ in their functionality and run on specific platforms. These factors prevent the flexibility of development.

Alternative solutions greatly simplify the process of implementation. Following their instructions, you can enable voice recognition in your app. However, you might not have the freedom to make significant changes and add extra features.

The main advantage of independent development is that you are free to implement whatever you like. The main con, though, is that it is a very complicated process that will take a lot of time and effort.

If you still hesitate about making a final decision, contact our managers. Depending on the specifics of your project they will recommend an appropriate solution.