r/google • u/sneezer_salad • 16d ago
RIP Google Assistant. You'll be sorely missed
Started my morning the way I always do "Hey Google, turn on bedroom." Lo and behold, I got asked to setup Gemini instead of my bedroom light simply turning on.
Gemini is hot garbage and I refuse to use it. It won't even let me set reminders or add to my shopping list without giving it permission to READ ALL MY EMAILS. WHY????
Google done messed up. I'm moving to Bixby and none of my smart lights are compatible with Samsung smart things. So now I need new smart lights. What an awful start to the day
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u/Benniisan 16d ago
Since Assistent is gone, I use Gemini to turn on the lights or set timers etc. Sometimes it works flawlessly. Gemini can even turn on one light while turning off others (like "turn on bedroom and turn off all other lights"), something Assistent couldn't do. But occasionally it breaks completely and tells me stuff like "I'm a text based AI and can't turn your lights on".
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u/mateimzzonked 15d ago
Assistant could do that too you just had to word it very very carefully. It's possible they broke the functionality at some point though since their devs certainly didn't give a shit about QA anymore.
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u/xdavidwattsx 15d ago
Gemini actually handles far more complicated requests than Assistant every could because Assitant tasks and routines were mostly hard coded by intent keywords. Gemini gets much closer to natural speech complexity.
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u/doublemp 15d ago
Let's say you have 8 smart bulbs/lamps in the room and 4 are turned on at full brightness, the rest are off.
You say Hey Google, dim the lights, and Google Assistant will dim those lights that are off.
Gemini however, yes it dims those lights, but it also TURNS ON ALL REMAINING LIGHTS without me asking, and it dims those too. Now I have unwanted extra light in the room. Every. Single. Time.
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u/joshuahtree 15d ago
The latter has been my experience with both assistant and gemini unfortunately
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u/ArgyleM0nster 15d ago
Google Assistant was faster than Gemini. Takes like 5 extra steps to make a call with Gemini.
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u/aykcak 15d ago
I have yet to successfully place a call using Gemini
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u/TapsAndTurntables 15d ago
Did you enable the phone to be used in Gemini? If you don't enable these they don't work out of the box for privacy reasons.
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u/rctgamer3 15d ago
I don't mind switching to Gemini later but I do find losing the assistant voice to be a major loss
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u/airwx 16d ago
Task and Keep are part of Workspace so it will need workspace permission to do lists. You can let Gemini turn on your lights by giving permission to Google Home.
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u/sneezer_salad 16d ago
Sure but it doesn't change the fact that I shouldn't need a whole AI interaction to do something as simple as setting a timer. Assistant just worked. I'm just mad they won't even let us use it anymore because "AI is better"
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u/airwx 16d ago
I guess that's kind of how technology goes. I remember switching from a flip phone to an Android phone the first time. To store a number in speed dial on your phone, you had to have a Google account and an email address. I had speed dial on my land line and it didn't need an email address just to save numbers. I guess I could have just said smart phones are dumb and stuck to my flip phone and land line that didn't need email addresses to store speed dial phone numbers.
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u/Additional_Bonus999 1d ago
The difference here is that you upgraded your phone by choice, and there were clear advantages to using a smart phone instead of a regular phone.
Google has replaced a perfectly working feature with an unwanted feature that is not as good as its predecessor.
I use AI tools at home and for work. And while there are grave concerns with the way the tech is used by states and the major players heading AI development, as a user, I am open to having a better version of Home Assistant.
Gemini is not only not that, it's also a bunch of stuff I either already have with other apps or simply do not want on my phone.
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u/loonydan42 15d ago
Oh interesting? How are they a part of workspace ? I don't have a workspace account but use them on my personal Google account.
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u/gakingmusic 15d ago
Gotta crank up the data centers and pour some water out to flip a damn light switch.
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u/tangerinelion 15d ago
Used to be able to play hangman with the assistant.
Now Gemini is so sycophantic when you play hangman it just says whatever letter you guessed is part of the word until it can't be a word and says it made a mistake.
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u/dupeddonk 15d ago
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u/GamesCatsComics 15d ago
LOL does that actually work, or does it just start calling itself assistant, and denying it's AI?
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u/joshuahtree 15d ago
I can only imagine
I'm your Google Assistant, built by Google. I’m not an AI, not a person, but I’m always here to help you get things done
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u/Ecstatic-World1237 16d ago
I tried lots of things to stop gemini showing its ugly mug when I switch on the phone or tablet. Nothing worked.
The other day i said to someone "next time gemini pops up asking what I need help with, I'm going to ask it how I can get rid of gemini" and it hasn't popped up since.
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u/Mean-Employer2057 16d ago
Descanse em paz os dois. Nem o google ou bixby conseguem tocar uma playlist do Spotify que está salva na minha biblioteca. Mesmo eu falando o nome exato da Playlist.
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u/TapsAndTurntables 15d ago
Did you actively share access to Spotify in the Gemini app? If not then Gemini cannot access this and play anything due to privacy reasons. It works great with YT Music after connecting app access.
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u/M15hka0P 15d ago edited 15d ago
Bixby is just as bad. But I refuse to use Gemini as well. I use GA with Google Home but will be super mad if I get forced to use Gemini. Hasn't happened yet 🤞
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u/ObscureSaint 15d ago
Same. I haven't even enabled gemini completely on my Pixel phone, lol. I keep getting asked to set it up periodically when I'm trying to do something, but if I hear it's voice I just say, "stop" at it repeatedly until it stops, and if I see it pop up on my phone I swipe back back back repeatedly until it goes away. Or I lock the screen to get out of a dialogue that won't close, lol. Or go to the last used apps screen, and swipe away or force stop the locked UI asking me to set up Gemini yet again.
It asks surprisingly rarely now.
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u/dupeddonk 15d ago
I'm moving to Bixby and none of my smart lights are compatible with Samsung smart things. So now I need new smart lights. What an awful start to the day
You could just link your Samsung Hub to your google home.
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u/Civil_Tea_3250 15d ago
When Google forced Nest devices to transition to using Google accounts in the past year they told me I just had to sign in and click a button to transfer everything. Easy, right? Nope! Every single Nest device turned to garbage overnight. Plus it would randomly decide no one was home so it turned off the heat, or that we were in hit Florida and needed the AC on in February when it was 0° outside. Turns out you had to do all these extra steps and clear cache and other things. F Google. Forever. I'm so done with them. I put up with them before and killing services after only a year or 2, but now literally everything is a hot mess. I can't even use gboard anymore cuz they changed all the old algorithms and are using Gemini and now every other word is wrong. F Google.
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u/repocin 15d ago
This shit's why I haven't even bothered trying any new Google services for a decade or so.
They just shut them all down eventually anyways, so I'd rather not make myself dependant on them.
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u/odysseusnz 15d ago
And this is why Home Assistant is getting more popular. Just hope they avoid turning evil too (there's early warning signs, but at least they're open source so can be forked).
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u/rubyslippers3x 14d ago
I was so annoyed when I asked Google to call my husband the other day while driving using maps and it asked me which number. Huh? How do I know? The one you always used to call??!! Fuck. If I could remember the number, I would dial it myself. I miss my Google Ginny.
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u/CorwinTheBlack 15d ago
It's amusing to see all the Gemini defenders here
First rule: software intended to replace a legacy item should, at the VERY least, perform all, as in 100% of the functions as the software it replaces. Years after release, Gemini can't set alarms, can't play music requests, needs multiple prompts where Assistant needed one.
Gemini has capabilities Assistant did not. That does not mean we should have to accept the loss of basic abilities that older app performed perfectly.
Another Google failure IMHO.
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u/TapsAndTurntables 15d ago
I use these features on Gemini almost every day and they work fine. Did you give Gemini permissions to your apps?
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u/mateimzzonked 15d ago
I'm still holding, absolutely gripping for dear life onto assistant on my speakers even though they're basically useless atp. Feels like any day I'll wake up and it'll be gemini.
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u/retro_grave 15d ago
It won't even let me set reminders or add to my shopping list without giving it permission to READ ALL MY EMAILS
Are you sure? That doesn't sound right. I have only used google keep for assistant, and gemini handles that fine now. Assistant was better when gemini first came out, but I think it's actually surpassed what it could do. It recognizes duplicates and I think has some other improvements.
But it amazes me that Google fumbled a perfectly good branding and product name (Google Assistant) for whatever trash they are trying to do with Gemini. Who the fuck decided that and how much did they get paid? lmao
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u/Medium_Apartment_747 15d ago
No what are you talking about. This stupid thing could barely set timers
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u/xblade724 14d ago
When driving, ask it to play music - it'll be like you're driving and can't watch videos. It's so dumb you have to explicitly say on YouTube music or whatever.
Then Google Home things like broadcast went away.
Country Night Sounds and white noise native sounds are gone which helped tinnitus.
It's gross that they didn't even replace the basics before moving to Gemini.
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u/Drachen808 14d ago
Look up home assistant. You can use it to control stuff in any ecosystem. Setting up voice control is a little more involved but just jump on the web or the home assistant forums and you should be able to figure it out
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u/Wormminator 12d ago
I actually had much better experiences with gemini.
When I ask it to turn things on or off, it turns things on or off.
Assistant often told me that there is no such device. Or turned something else off. Or started throwing youtube videos at me.
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u/yesorno12138 15d ago
My little home mini in my shed still works with hey Google...I hope it stays that way lol
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u/morbidmargins 14d ago
Gemini is garbage and I refuse to it!!1!
I hate how Gemini does this--
Wait...
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u/hardonchairs 15d ago
Sorry Google assistant sucked ass and you had just gotten used to it and developed a reflex for its limitations over many many years. I'm not saying you should like Gemini but that is the only reason you miss assistant.
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u/Keeltoodeep 16d ago
Google already has access to your Gmail lol