In a significant move towards refining user experience, Google Assistant is bidding farewell to certain features, set to take effect from January 26, 2024. The tech giant's recent blog post outlines these changes, highlighting a commitment to prioritize frequently used functionalities and invest in technologies that amplify performance.
Among the notable adjustments, users will soon receive notifications about the discontinuation of specific, less-utilized features. This includes tasks such as playing and managing audiobooks on Google Play Books through voice commands and setting media alarms on Assistant-enabled devices. Cooking enthusiasts who used voice commands to navigate cookbooks or instructional recipe videos will also need to adapt to alternative methods.
While voice-controlled stopwatches on Smart Displays and Speakers are taking a backseat, the setting of timers and alarms remains unaffected. Likewise, certain voice commands for calling devices or broadcasting messages to Google Family Groups will be phased out, but the ability to broadcast messages within the home persists.
Sending emails, video messages, or audio messages via voice commands will soon be a thing of the past, although making calls and sending text messages will still be at users' fingertips. The convenience of rescheduling events in Google Calendar using voice commands will no longer be supported, but scheduling new events remains an option through alternative means.
Fitness enthusiasts using Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 devices will notice the absence of voice control for activities, necessitating the use of device buttons for starting, stopping, pausing, and resuming activities. Sleep summaries will now be exclusive to Google Smart Displays, with third-party smart clocks still accommodating voice queries about sleep details.
Caller IDs for calls made from speakers and Smart Displays will be hidden, except when using Duo. Moreover, ambient "Commute to Work" time estimates on Smart Displays will no longer be visible, but users can still inquire about commute times and directions through voice commands. Checking personal travel itineraries using voice commands is also retiring, with flight status inquiries being the recommended alternative.
Certain voice commands for actions like sending payments, making reservations, or posting to social media will no longer be supported. Instead, users are encouraged to instruct the Assistant to open their installed apps for such tasks.
In addition to these feature changes, the microphone icon will exclusively trigger search results in response to user queries, emphasizing its primary use case. Although users can still activate Assistant by saying "Hey Google" or using traditional long presses on the home or power button, the microphone icon in the Search bar will no longer execute actions like controlling lights or sending messages. Users with older versions of the Google app are prompted to upgrade for continued access to the latest Google Assistant features.
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