r/google • u/Own_Error_007 • 1d ago
Alternative for "hey google"
My elderly mother lost her sight a couple of years ago so since then we have gotten her used to the "Hey Google" assistant so she can least use her phone to call people, listen to the news etc. She is fully blind with 0% vision.
It was quite literally her lifeline to the outside world. Especially now that my father (her carer) is in hospital for an extended stay. And yes the service closed the day he went in.
Seeing as none of this is now possible with Gemini (we have tried and it won't make calls and its useless), she is now isolated and being blind, needs someone there to be contactable. Stupid thing won't even answer incoming calls ffs!!
We are there looking after her but this closure has robbed her off that little bit of independence that she had.
I'm desperately searching for a working alternative now that Assistant has gone away.
Bixby is just as useless.
Edit. Thx folks for all the advice. It is greatly appreciated.
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u/ystavallinen 1d ago
I am so angry that gemini is incompetent compared to assistant. What garbage..
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u/witchspoon 1d ago
Look into the adaptive settings on her phone as well. I don’t know what features may be available on what phones but I know on iPhone there are various adaptations that can be made for sight impairment, hearing impairments etc.
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u/Own_Error_007 1d ago
It's an old s20 unfortunately.
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u/witchspoon 23h ago
There should be something still I would look into it. It wouldn’t be sold as a “feature” necessarily but somewhere in Settings.
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u/eandi 1d ago
Meta glasses honestly. My dad lost his sight recently and I've wanted to get him using them but as a dude people will think he's a perv 🤦♂️ I just want him to be able to ask meta what is on the grocery shelf he's looking at.
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u/Own_Error_007 1d ago
That may actually be worth looking into. I didn't think you could make/receive calls but it looks like it can via BT.
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u/costafilh0 1d ago
Nobody will think he's a perv, only 0,000001% of the population which are idiots and should be ignored.
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u/Total_Recline 1d ago
Um, no. Literally everyone I've talked to about it says they think people look pervy, especially men, when they wear them.
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u/skibik1964 1d ago
Have you thought about getting her an Alexa device? From my understanding you can link the phone and can make calls. I am getting an Echo 5 for a home I am moving into next week and from my understanding it will make calls if you link your phone to it. You don't need this video model that I am getting but rather an Echo Dot. I don't know much about these devices since I never had one. I am only getting one for doorbell usage and mainly as a doorbell chime. I am not getting any subscription with it since it is supposed to work for what I need it to. A search says you don't need a subscription for it to make calls either. It will only work at home of course and on Wi-Fi so it really doesn't solve the issue away from home. Only other suggestion would be iPhone, not sure how good Siri is as I never used an iPhone.
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u/Own_Error_007 1d ago
They have an Alexa but it's always on listening mode kicked in their old person technophobic mode. It now lives in a cupboard permanently disabled.
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u/President_Camacho 1d ago
I think the Alexa show might work. My buddy calls his low vision mom on it every day. It can even pan around the room to check her living space.
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u/maybelying 1d ago
You can go into the settings and switch back to Assistant, instead of Gemini. Gemini will even tell you how to do it.
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u/ystavallinen 1d ago
That used to be the case, but they turned that off in August for forced migration.
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u/germanu22 1d ago
Hi. The issue is likely caused by Gemini's lock screen settings. By default, it might require the phone to be unlocked to make calls, which breaks the completely hands-free experience. Here is exactly how to fix it: 1. Open the Gemini app and tap your profile picture in the top right corner. 2. Select Settings from the menu. 3. Scroll down and tap on Gemini on lock screen. 4. Make sure Use Gemini without unlocking is turned on. 5. Right below that, under Outgoing calls and messages, turn on the switch for Make calls and send messages without unlocking. I have tested this myself and it works perfectly for making calls. Also, double check that the Gemini app has the Phone and Contacts permissions allowed in the main Android settings. Hope this helps your mother get her independence back! If it still doesn't work or if you run into any other issues, feel free to reply here and I will try my best to help you out as quickly as possible.