Personal assistant devices are electronic devices that can perform tasks or services for a user. Such tasks can be performed based on user input, location awareness, and the ability to access information from a variety of online sources, e.g., weather or traffic conditions, news, stock prices, and user schedules. Personal assistant devices function using a combination of mobile devices, application programming interfaces (APIs), and mobile applications that allow the user to perform tasks. A user can use a personal assistant device by providing voice instructions to either perform a one-time task, e.g., asking for directions to a nearby location, or ongoing tasks, e.g., schedule management.