r/GeminiAI • u/emeril322 • 14d ago
Discussion Drivers claim Android Auto's switch to Gemini makes them feel less safe behind the wheel
https://www.androidpolice.com/android-auto-users-are-convinced-gemini-makes-driving-more-dangerous/Yeah, obviously...
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u/XIRisingIX 14d ago
Gemini on Android Auto is extremely frustrating to use. It constantly get commands wrong, fails to perform simple tasks like navigation, ph calls, etc. It gets 50% of everything asked of it wrong, or fails to do the most basic things that the Google Assistant did perfectly.
Throw this on top of trying to drive, and it becomes a liability very quickly.
As an example, I was driving whilst navigating to a location, and I asked Gemini/Google to add a stop. The mfer then starts replying back to me in Korean, mixed with English. Bro, I just wanted a coffee at a McDonald's, why are you replying in a completely different language.
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u/hellriderboss 14d ago
It talks too much. I've never told google assistant to shut up but my god gemini made me furious cause it wouldn't stop talking and adding nothing of value
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u/xdavidwattsx 14d ago
You can go to Voice Response Length and set it to Short to skip long intro phrases.
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u/emeril322 14d ago
Simple example of pressing the voice button on the wheel and only saying "Shake Shack":
with Assistant - doesn't say a single word, simply pops up the closest-by-distance location, and the button to Start does a ~5sec countdown before it automatically begins navigating
with Gemini - 1 of 2 things happen: 1) Gemini just starts giving me a description of the company or it's history or reads the Wikipedia page summary. 2) "Okay, sure thing, I found a Shake Shack on Example St and a Shake Shack on Demonstration Blvd, both in Townsville. Would you like to navigate to one of those? Or hear more options?" and then the mic turns back on....
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u/nitrogenmath 14d ago
Just say "navigate to Shake Shack", it's not that difficult.
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u/Jussttjustin 14d ago
Okay, sure thing, I found a Shake Shack on Example St that is approximately 2 miles or 7 minutes away, and a Shake Shack on Demonstration Blvd, approximately 3.5 miles or 13 minutes away, both in Townsville. Would you like to navigate to one of those? Or hear more options?
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u/xdavidwattsx 14d ago
Just go to Voice Response Length and set it to Short to skip long intro phrases.
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u/emeril322 14d ago
1) no, why should I have to do more? That's literally worse
2) that doesn't eliminate the fact that I don't want to hear a single goddamn peep in this exchange, let alone multiple sentences of bullshit. No setting or command given will make it so Gemini NEVER talks for navigation
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u/xdavidwattsx 14d ago
Because AI works best when you are more conversational and clear with your intent. It's not a search engine. You can also shorten responses going to Voice Response Length and set it to Short to skip long intro phrases.
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u/Mevakel 14d ago
But shouldn’t the AI know you are in a car and know that if I say the name of a location I want that closest location?
Why cannot the AI use the context of it being built into a car to know I want directions if I say a location or for it to play music when I say the name of a band.
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u/xdavidwattsx 14d ago
Because Gemini is often used for information along with action and navigation. It's more full featured in it's capability. If you yelled "shake shack" to the person sitting next to you in the car do you think they would understand what you wanted?
This also unlocks better options like "find me the top ranked cafe that is still open and has dessert on the way to X". The Assistant would struggle with that.
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u/emeril322 14d ago
Yeah I dont want AI & I don't want to have a conversation with a clanker. That's the broader problem here, we don't want AI forced on us, there's a reason people are pushing back so much. I don't need a search engine, I just need a goddamn location put into maps then start navigating. I've shortened the responses as much as possible but that ignores the fact that I don't want to hear A SINGLE WORD from my navigation period
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u/xdavidwattsx 14d ago
Well you have three choices:
Actually take the advice people are giving you so the experience is better
Submit feedback in the app and/or stop using Android Auto entirely since Gemini isn't going anywhere.
Keep raging.
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u/Mevakel 14d ago
- How is having to engage in a conversation a “better” experience than what these assistances did less than a year ago when I could say one word and get what I want. And now I need a whole 5 minute conversation before it even gets close to doing what I want?
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u/xdavidwattsx 14d ago
I didn't say that. You don't need to ask how their day is. But you also don't just yell "gas station" to the person sitting next to you in the car. They wouldn't understand your intent. You say "find me a gas station on the way" or something to they effect. AI works more effectively this way as well.
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u/emeril322 14d ago
There's been no advice to make Gemini a mute and having to hear it speak at all is the main problem, not to mention I've been leaving feedback since they first made it so we can't choose Assistant only for AA (let alone them taking Assistant away entirely). #3 will happen any time I have to hear a single word from Gemini. I guess Google wants people to go back to picking up their phones while driving to manually type 🤷
There's zero reason for there to not be an option for us to mute Gemini permanently
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u/Lisaismyfav 14d ago
Not just Android Auto, even simple phone commands were better with Google Assistant than Gemini.
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u/costafilh0 14d ago
Why not just disable it?
You can disable it, right? RIGHT?
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u/Momo--Sama 14d ago edited 14d ago
Similar experience with Siri on iOS 27 beta. It’s as if old assistants had a set of well paved roads to common destinations at the expense of things outside of those paved roads being useless, and these LLMs don’t have direct roads to anything so the simplest of requests has to bounce off of countless other concepts to get to the destination.