The well-known voice assistant Google Assistant is undergoing some modifications. Google recently announced on their blog that starting on January 26, 17 features will no longer be available in the Assistant. According to the company, this will increase the service’s “quality and reliability” and make it “easier to use Assistant across devices.”
You will receive a notification that the 17 features are no longer available if you attempt to use any of them starting on January 26. As per 9to5Google, the majority of these features will be entirely eliminated by February 26th.
The entire list of items being eliminated is as follows:
Voice control over Google Play Books audiobooks is no longer available. They are still castable from a mobile device.
Google Assistant will no longer be used to manage cookbooks; recipes, tutorial videos, and step-by-step instructions will no longer be transferred. You can still use Google Assistant to look up recipes online and on YouTube, so don’t worry.
No more using Google Assistant devices to set radio, music, or media alarms. Alternatively, you can use a standard alarm or make a custom Routine.
There will be no more stopwatch management on speakers or smart displays. However, there’s still hope because you can still set timers and alarms.
Broadcasting to your Google Family Group or making voice calls to a device are not recommended. Broadcasting to devices inside your home is still an option.
It won’t be possible for you to voicemail emails, videos, or audio messages. Text messaging and phone calls are still possible, though.
No more asking for contact information. You are able to contact them by phone still.
Google Assistant driving mode on Google Maps no longer allows the App Launcher to open for calls and messages. That being said, Google Maps offers a similar voice control experience.
Voice control for activities will be off the table for Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 devices. You’ll have to control your activity instead using the buttons on your device. Activity voice control is still supported on Pixel Watches.
Calls from speakers and Smart Displays won’t display a caller ID unless you’re using Duo.
Personal travel itinerary voice-checking is no longer available. It is still possible to find out the status of the flight.
Voice actions will no longer be supported, including sending payments, booking reservations, and sharing content on social media. Still, you have the option to ask the Assistant to launch installed apps.
However, it’s not just subtractions. Additionally, Google is improving the Google app. Tapping the microphone icon will now launch search results. Nevertheless, the microphone icon can no longer send or receive messages or operate smart home appliances. This includes Voice Search being triggered instead of Assistant when using the Pixel Search bar.
