Summary
- Google is retiring Assistant for Gemini and is removing many underutilized features as part of the transition.
- Notable features being removed include Interpreter mode, daily updates, and Family Bell.
- Google suggests setting up Routines as a workaround for the removed Assistant features.
Late last week, Google confirmed the writing on the wall: It will retire Google Assistant later this year, making way for Gemini on more of its devices. With Assistant losing several features last year and Google shifting its focus heavily toward Gemini, this move comes as no surprise. By the time Assistant is phased away, though, it won’t be as smart as you once knew. Google has discontinued many of its features, and now the company has silently announced it is removing even more “underutilized features” as part of this transition.
In an updated support page (via 9to5Google), Google says that as it continues to improve Google Assistant, it is “prioritizing the experiences you love and investing in the underlying technology to make them even better — which means that some underutilized features will no longer be supported.”
As part of this, the company is stripping away the following features from Google Assistant:
- Favorite, share, and ask where and when your photos were taken with your voice. You can still favorite and share your photos in the Google Photos app and see where and when your photos were taken on your Smart Display and tablet.
- Change photo frame settings or ambient screen settings with your voice. You can still change your photo frame settings in your Smart Display settings.
- Translate your live conversation with someone who doesn’t speak your language with interpreter mode. Translating a single word or phrase from one language to another will still work.
- Get birthday reminder notifications as part of Routines. You can still ask your Assistant to set a reminder about birthdays you care about.
- Ask to schedule or hear previously scheduled Family Bell announcements.
- Get daily updates from your Assistant, like “send me the weather everyday.” You can schedule updates when you create a custom Routine.
- Use Google Assistant on car accessories that have a Bluetooth connection or AUX plug.
While Google is stripping away several features from Assistant, the most notable ones include Interpreter mode for live conversation translation, daily updates, and the ability to schedule or hear previous Family Bell announcements. The removal of many of these features will make your Assistant-powered smart display or speaker less useful.
Set up a Routine as a workaround
For most features being removed, like getting daily weather updates from Assistant, Google recommends setting up a Routine as an alternative.
Google hasn’t specified an exact date for when these Assistant features will stop working. Instead, the company says that when you next attempt to use a retiring feature, you’ll receive a notification letting you know it will stop working after a certain date.
