Update 1 (11/25/19 @ 11:58 PM ET): Google today confirmed that the Google Assistant's Ambient Mode will start rolling out to some devices. More details below. The original article follows.
At IFA this year, Google announced a new feature in the Google Assistant called Ambient Mode. This mode turns your Android smartphone or tablet into a smart display by showing information from your calendar, the current weather, your notifications, your reminders, music controls, and your smart home controls. You can even show photos from Google Photos, turning your smartphone or tablet into a digital photo frame. To save power, Ambient Mode is only active when your phone is charging or your tablet is docked.
Source: Google
When Google first announced the feature, they only made it available for two tablets, the Lenovo Smart Tab M8 HD and Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab, and two smartphones, the Nokia 7.2 and Nokia 6.2. However, we've received tips that indicate the feature is seeing a broader release. At least two users with the Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro have reported receiving the new Assistant Ambient Mode, and one user with the Nokia 6.1 on Reddit says they have the new mode.
Our first tipster who sent us these screenshots, XDA Senior Member abhishek987, told us that he saw a notification from the Google App to set it up, but he didn't take screenshots of the setup process. When the feature goes live, you'll be able to toggle it in Settings > Assistant > Say "Hey Google," at least on Android 10. We're not sure where the setting will appear on older Android devices since the new "Assistant" subsetting page seems to be exclusive to Android 10.
Update: Shortly after publishing this article, a user in our Discord group said they received Ambient Mode on their Nokia 6.1 Plus. A user on Reddit also reports seeing the mode on their POCOPhone F1, and they also shared more screenshots of the setup. Lastly, Reddit user with the Nokia 6.1 left a comment on this article stating that, on Android 9 Pie, Ambient Mode can be toggled in Google App Settings > Assistant > Devices (Phone).
If you see Google Assistant's new Ambient Mode in settings, let us know below!
Featured image credits: Google
Update 1: Officially Rolling Out
Google published a YouTube video outlining the new Ambient Mode in Google Assistant. The video states that "this experience will be available on select devices on Android O and above." Google says Ambient Mode is "deeply integrated" into the Android OS, but it's unclear what that means. The video says the feature will be available on Android 8.0 Oreo and above, and according to Ron Amadeo from ArsTechnica, that includes only devices from Sony, Nokia, Xiaomi, and "Transsion." The rollout begins next week with an update to the Google App.