- Google begins the year by killing 17 Google Assistant features.
- Most of these features were related to voice commands on Smartphones and Smart Speakers.
- Google will discontinue them by February 26 and users will be alerted by message when they try to use the feature after January 26.
The next victims of Google’s slaughter and first entrants of Google Graveyard in 2024 are Google Assistant features, 17 of them. Google will soon kill 17 Assistant features and here’s everything you need to know. First reported by 9to5Google, Google claims that most of these features were “underutilized,” and that the company would like to focus on “prioritizing the experiences.” Here are all the Google Assistant features that will be discontinued by February 26.
Google Discontinues 17 Google Assistant Features
- Playing and controlling audiobooks on Google Play Books with your voice.
(You can still cast audiobooks from your mobile device.) - Setting or using media alarms, music alarms, or radio alarms on devices.
(You can create a custom Routine that has similar behavior or use a standard alarm) - Accessing or managing your cookbook, transferring recipes from device to device, playing an instructional recipe video, or showing step-by-step recipes.
(You can use Google Assistant to search for recipes across the web and YouTube) - Managing a stopwatch on Smart Displays and Speakers. (You can still set timers and alarms).
- Using your voice to call a device or broadcast a message to your Google Family Group.
(You can still broadcast to devices in your home) - Using your voice to send an email, video, or audio message.
(You can still make calls and send text messages) - Rescheduling an event in Google Calendar with your voice
(You can still schedule a new event) - Using App Launcher in Google Assistant driving mode on Google Maps to read and send messages, make calls, and control media.
(You can still use voice control on Google Maps the same way) - Asking to schedule or hear previously scheduled Family Bell announcements.
(You can create a custom Routine that has similar behavior) - Asking to meditate with Calm.
(You can still ask for meditation options with media providers such as YouTube) - Voice control for activities will no longer be available on Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 devices. You’ll need to use the buttons on your device to start, stop, pause, and resume activities.
(You can still voice control activities on Pixel Watches) - Viewing your sleep summaries will only be available on Google Smart Displays.
(You can still ask for sleep details by voice on third-party smart clocks) - Calls made from speakers and Smart Displays will not show up with a caller ID unless you’re using Duo.
- Viewing the ambient “Commute to Work” time estimates on Smart Displays.
(You can still ask for commute times and get directions by voice) - Checking personal travel itineraries by voice.
(You can still ask for flight status) - Asking for information about your contacts.
(You can still make calls to your contacts) - Asking to take certain actions by voice, such as sending a payment, making a reservation, or posting to social media.
(You can still ask the Assistant to open your installed apps)
The killin.. changes come a week after Google announced that Assistant with Bard is nearing its full official release to Android. Most of these features are related to voice commands on smart speakers and smartphones so it shouldn’t really affect the overall functionality of Assistant unless you extensively use one of the above features.
If you are not sure if you use any of the aforementioned features, starting January 26 Google Assistant will start showing a “This feature is being deprecated” message when you try to use the feature.
What are your thoughts on Google doing away with the 17 features? Do they hold a great significance in your Google Assistant usage? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
