Google Assistant users will soon experience some changes as Google announced the removal of several underutilized features in an effort to prioritize and enhance the experiences that users love. The changes will be implemented on January 26, 2024.
Among the features being removed are the ability to play and control audiobooks on Google Play Books using voice commands. While users will no longer be able to set or use media alarms, music alarms, or radio alarms, they can still create custom Routines or use standard alarms to achieve similar functionality. The management of cookbooks, including transferring recipes between devices and accessing instructional recipe videos, will also be discontinued. Instead, users can search for recipes across the web and YouTube using Google Assistant.
The ability to manage a stopwatch on Smart Displays and Speakers will no longer be supported, but users can still set timers and alarms. Additionally, calling a device or broadcasting a message to the Google Family Group will no longer be available via voice commands, although broadcasting to devices within the home is still possible. Sending emails, videos, and audio messages using voice commands is being removed, but users can continue to make calls and send text messages.
Other features being removed include rescheduling events in Google Calendar with voice commands, using App Launcher in Google Assistant driving mode on Google Maps for various actions, meditating with Calm, and using voice control for activities on Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 devices. However, users can still use voice control for activities on Pixel Watches. Sleep summaries can only be viewed on Google Smart Displays, but sleep details can still be requested via voice commands on third-party smart clocks.
Some changes are also being made to the overall Google app experience. The microphone icon will now trigger search results in response to users’ queries, while the ability to complete actions like turning on lights or sending messages using the microphone icon in the Search bar will be disabled. The microphone in the Pixel Search bar will now activate Voice Search instead of Assistant.
To ensure users have the best version of Google Assistant, they will be prompted to upgrade the Google app if they are using an older version. These changes aim to improve the Google Assistant experience by focusing on the most popular use cases and optimizing the underlying technology.
While some users might be disappointed by the removal of certain features, it is important to remember that these changes are intended to enhance the overall functionality of Google Assistant and provide users with a more streamlined and efficient experience.
Overall, these upcoming changes to Google Assistant reflect the company’s commitment to constantly improving its products and offerings, ensuring that users have access to the best and most up-to-date version of Google Assistant.
