Typical Google
Changes we're making to Google Assistant
31–40 of 302 posts
Re: Changes we're making to Google Assistant
#32Another step in Android's steady progression of become less and less useful hands-free. It's incredible to me that my experience with my Nexus One in 2010 was better than it is today with a Pixel 7. The fact that it arbitrarily decides to not recognize some contacts on some days. The fact that it can't handle me spelling out a street name when it insists on replacing the street name that I'm saying with something com…
Yep. It is a pretty useless device if you cannot hold it in your hand and unlock it. So for example, when I ride my bike I can pause the music or receive a call and not much else.
I wonder how many road deaths their declining hands-free quality has contributed to? I'd wager the number has more than two digits. It's one thing to never have supported something hands-free, but when something that you used to be able to regularly do hands-free all of a sudden doesn't work, drivers are bound to get frustrated and use the device hand-held.
Re: Changes we're making to Google Assistant
#33List of items being removed... instead of being nested under the announcement
* Playing and controlling audiobooks on Google Play Books with your voice. You can still cast audiobooks from your mobile device.
* Setting or using media alarms, music alarms, or radio alarms on Google Assistant enabled devices. You can create a custom Routine that has similar behavior or use a standard alarm.
* Accessing or managing your cookbook, transfering recipes from device to device, playing an instructional recipe video, or showing step-by-step recipes. You can use Google Assistant to search for recipes across the web and YouTube.
* Managing a stopwatch on Smart Displays and Speakers. You can still set timers and alarms.
* Using your voice to call a device or broadcast a message to your Google Family Group. You can still broadcast to devices in your home.
* Using your voice to send an email, video or audio message. You can still make calls and send text messages.
* Rescheduling an event in Google Calendar with your voice. You can still schedule a new event.
* Using App Launcher in Google Assistant driving mode on Google Maps to read and send messages, make calls, and control media. You can still use voice control on Google Maps the same way.
* Asking to schedule or hear previously scheduled Family Bell announcements. You can create a custom Routine that has similar behavior.
* Asking to meditate with Calm. You can still ask for meditation options with media providers such as YouTube.
* Voice control for activities will no longer be available on Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 devices. You'll need to use the buttons on your device to start, stop, pause, and resume activities. You can still voice control activities on Pixel Watches.
* Viewing your sleep summaries will only be available on Google Smart Displays. You can still ask for sleep details by voice on third-party smart clocks.
* Calls made from speakers and Smart Displays will not show up with a caller ID unless you’re using Duo.
* Viewing the ambient “Commute to Work” time estimates on Smart Displays. You can still ask for commute times and get directions by voice.
* Checking personal travel itineraries by voice. You can still ask for flight status.
* Asking for information about your contacts. You can still make calls to your contacts.
* Asking to take certain actions by voice, such as send a payment, make a reservation, or post to social media. You can still ask Assistant to open your installed apps.
Re: Changes we're making to Google Assistant
#34A lot of the changes just don't make any sense? Some of the features removed: - Using your voice to send an email, video or audio message. You can still make calls and send text messages - Rescheduling an event in Google Calendar with your voice. You can still schedule a new event. - Asking to take certain actions by voice, such as send a payment, make a reservation, or post to social media. You can still ask Assista…
My guess is that a lot of these features are hard-coded, and they are deprecating them in order to replace them with a more generic LLM-based assistant.
I really hope that this is the case.
Re: Changes we're making to Google Assistant
#35I know what would be a killer feature: the ability to turn it completely off and delete it and never have to see it ever again.
Anything else that allows me to set alarms and timers without having to touch my phone?
I've been using a 1980s-style digital watch for this.
It's good enough for cooking, which is the only time I care about not touching my phone.
Re: Changes we're making to Google Assistant
#36Wow that's a big list of surprisingly useful features being ripped out. I'd already noticed my new phone (pixel 8, I fucking hate it) had trouble setting a simple timer with a voice command ( last time I tried it gave me a shitty youtube video result of a 10 minute timer!?!), but this list of removed features goes further, removing other basic functionality from voice assistance. If all a voice assistant can do is go…
Google has to cater to its reputation of biggest destructor of products
Re: Changes we're making to Google Assistant
#37Another step in Android's steady progression of become less and less useful hands-free. It's incredible to me that my experience with my Nexus One in 2010 was better than it is today with a Pixel 7. The fact that it arbitrarily decides to not recognize some contacts on some days. The fact that it can't handle me spelling out a street name when it insists on replacing the street name that I'm saying with something com…
Google needs to toss Sundar and get a competent CEO who can forcefully smash the org back into line.
Google has turned into these little micro clusters of ideologies and functional philosophies, leading to a horrifically fragmented mess of google branded products. All which come loaded now with end-of-life anxiety as google just farts out products that seem to dissipate just as fast.
The fact that most google apps function better on iOS than Pixel phones should be enough to get any sane board to take action. This is without even mentioning the disaster that search has become, or completely dropping the ball on LLMs.
Re: Changes we're making to Google Assistant
#38To me this highlights the core failure with all these voice-driven UIs: you have absolutely no idea what is possible and what isn't. Discoverability is zero, which makes big changes like this even more disruptive. I've already decided that I'm done with Google's smart assistant stuff in any case. I have a Google Home with a screen in my kitchen and the most-used feature (aside from just existing as a photo frame) was…
The removal of the AnyList integration drove us to get an Alexa assistant device in the kitchen. It still works there
Never thought amazon would have the better assistant ecosystem. Google already has my email and calendar and other stuff, Amazon I have to auth into them like a third party. But it's become true
Re: Changes we're making to Google Assistant
#39I know what would be a killer feature: the ability to turn it completely off and delete it and never have to see it ever again.
Anything else that allows me to set alarms and timers without having to touch my phone?
"Hey Siri, set 10 minute timer". But I suppose you meant for Android ?
Re: Changes we're making to Google Assistant
#40To me this highlights the core failure with all these voice-driven UIs: you have absolutely no idea what is possible and what isn't. Discoverability is zero, which makes big changes like this even more disruptive. I've already decided that I'm done with Google's smart assistant stuff in any case. I have a Google Home with a screen in my kitchen and the most-used feature (aside from just existing as a photo frame) was…
On top of what you mentioned in your first sentence, any ideas to improve discoverability are horrible. I hate it when Alexa does not play my podcast right away but explains to me how I can change episodes. I despise Alexa for telling me that I have some notification before starting my timer. And so on - any voice only attempt to explain me something without me asking for it means adding a lot of friction between me and my goal.