Google Home and the Amazon Echo are two of the most popular smart speakers around.
The Amazon Echo debuted back in 2014 and took the connected home market by storm thanks to its alluring array of features.
Google Home released two years later and has staunchly rivalled the Echo since.
Both smart speakers come in multiple models that each have nuances that make them appealing.
Google Home and Amazon Echo are both powered by virtual assistants called the Google Assistant and Alexa respectively that can both perform a variety of tasks and answer myriad questions.
Since the release of both products, Amazon and Google have both been hard at work to improve their assistants in an effort to make them more useful overall.
While this has yielded a legion of additional functionality for users to enjoy, both pieces of hardware can now provide users with an additional 12,000 pieces of information thanks to the UK Government.
The Cabinet Office and Government Digital Service recently announced the addition that will let smart speaker owners access a deluge of Government information.
This means users can ask questions such as “when is the next bank holiday?”, “what is the national minimum wage?”, “How do I apply for a new passport?” and more.
Discussing the addition, the Government said: “For the past six months, a small team of experts from the Government Digital Service have been working on a trial project to allow people to access information from GOV.UK without having to touch a computer keyboard.
“Their work means people can now ask their home speakers questions ranging from ‘How do I apply for a passport?’ to ‘What age can I retire?’”
Minister for Implementation, Oliver Dowden, added: “This is all about making life easier for people who need to access information about government services.
“And with millions now using smart speakers, I want government to keep up and work smarter too.”
Additionally, the Government also suggested it could “soon” add more information to the smart speakers including details on how to renew car tax and how to get married.
The new features should be available for all Google Home and Amazon Echo owners to take advantage of right now.