The Google Assistant has to give up. (Source: stock.adobe.com – sdx15)
Voice assistants like the Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa should be the next big thing after the smartphone.
However, the idea that in the future we would all only talk to our devices never caught on. Instead, we use the software primarily to set timers and control music.
But fortunately, there is always the next technology that promises the expected revolution. This is currently very clear: generative AI like ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot.
Google also sees it that way and is currently withdrawing resources from other projects in order to invest there. One of these projects is the Google Assistant, which as a result has to lose a total of 17 features.
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Assistant: Google wants to delete 17 functions
What happened? In a blog post Google announced that it would like to discontinue 17 Google Assistant functions in the coming weeks. According to the company, these are rarely used features.
An exact date has not yet been announced. However, users should first be informed of the missing functions in the Assistant itself.
All deleted functions at a glance:
- Play and control audio books on Google Play Books using your voice
- Set and manage media alerts, music alerts, or radio alerts on devices with Google Assistant
- On cookbook or its management, transferring recipes from one device to another; Play a video with recipe instructions or view step-by-step recipes
- Manage stopwatch on smart displays and speakers
- Call a device using your voice or send a message to Google Family Group
- Send an email, video or audio message by voice
- Move events in Google Calendar with your voice
- Use the App Launcher in Google Assistant Driving Mode on Google Maps to read and send messages, make calls, and control media
- Request scheduled Family Bell announcements
- Request meditations with Calm
- Control activities on Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 devices using your voice
- Ask for sleep details by voice on third-party smartwatches
- View calls made on speakers and smart displays with caller ID
- View ambient commute time estimates on smart displays
- Request personal travel routes by voice
- Query information about your contacts
- Perform certain actions using voice commands, e.g. E.g. send a payment, make a reservation or post on social media
In a separate overview Google names alternatives with which you can carry out the functions in a similar way.
Google itself says that you can do this to the Assistant want to make it easier to use across multiple devices.
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Why is that important? On the one hand, the news is of course a shot in the arm for everyone who uses the Google Assistant for one or more of the purposes mentioned above.
In addition, the language used by Google in the announcement seems to indicate that additional, rarely used functions are likely to be removed from the Google Assistant in the future:
To make Google Assistant even more useful, we’re prioritizing the experiences you love and investing in the underlying technology to make it even better – meaning some underused features will no longer be supported.
What do you personally think if Google’s voice assistant is now being stripped of numerous functions? Do you like to use the voice assistant often and do you find yourself on the list of functions that are now gone, or do you only talk to people and at most pets? What do you think: Will classic voice assistants make a comeback in the near future? As always, please write us your opinion on this in the comments.
