The First Social Network with Voice Control: Marusia Is Now on the VK App

VK has become the first social network to integrate a voice assistant into its app. With Marusia, many VK services have become even more accessible and easy to use. For example, with just one voice command, users can play their favorite song, podcast, find a user or community, or call one of their friends.

The Marusia voice assistant will become one of the key unifying elements across the entire VK ecosystem. On par with the VK Connect single sign-on authentication system, the VK Pay payment service, and VK Combo subscription, Marusia will provide a seamless user experience and significantly improve navigation across various ecosystem projects.

Marusia not only helps users on VK but other ecosystem services as well, where the voice assistant can read their emails aloud, tell them the latest news and weather forecast, as well as order food and book taxis for them. Marusia also has her own skills. Her skill set includes answering questions across a broad range of topics, setting reminders, making shopping lists, playing games, managing a smart home, picking music to suit your mood, finding recipes, or just chatting with users.

Marusia can be found in the Hub tab on the VK app. To start chatting with Marusia, a user just has to click on the voice assistant icon. Over time, the variety of Marusia’s skills will grow.

Voice technology expands the abilities of mobile app interfaces. There are many situations a user might face when it’s not convenient to look at the screen or they need to quickly reply to a question. They might be driving, cooking, walking, or carrying a baby. This is when voice recognition technologies that can incorporate meaning and context really shine to deliver a quick and accurate reply. 

Any user or company can create skills for Marusia, including ones designed for use on the VK app. For example, business owners could teach the voice assistant to place orders in their VK stores.

Anna Artamonova, Vice President for Ecosystem Products:

“Voice assistant integration is an important strategic step in the development of the VK ecosystem, as we are making it more feature-rich and accessible for users. Thanks to voice technology, it will be easier for people to discover the potential of the ecosystem, and communicating with Marusia will make this experience more personal. As Marusia develops, she’ll offer more and more features”.

Marusia will become available to all VK users over the course of the day.

 The VK ecosystem helps millions of people complete everyday tasks online. Each day, its services are used by over 90% of the Russian internet audience. In the ecosystem, users can chat (on OK, VK, in messengers and Mail.ru Mail); play (on MY.GAMES); buy and sell goods and services; search for jobs and employees (on Youla and VK Jobs); order groceries and prepared food (on Delivery Club, Samokat and Local Kitchen); find taxis, cars or, electric scooters to ride around town (on Citymobil and Citydrive); learn a new skill (on GeekBrains, Skillbox, and other educational projects); buy items on AliExpress Russia; and complete a number of other tasks.

The VK Connect single sign-on system provides access to all VK ecosystem services. Users can already make payments and earn cashback on the VK Pay platform, get discounts and special offers through VK Combo, and use their favorite services on the VK Mini Apps platform.

The Marusia voice assistant is already available as a separate app for Android and iOS, in the Capsule smart speaker, in the Mail super app, Atom browser, and on partner devices.

Previously, VK improved its voice message recognition technology in its native messenger as well as announced free group video calls that can hold 2,048 people.