Time is running out for Google Assistant as Gemini prepares to take its place on mobile and—eventually—smart devices. Now Google is announcing another round of features that Google Assistant is soon to lose. None of the about-to-be-yanked features are all that critical, but the move is yet another sign that Google Assistant is going by the wayside.
The nixed features were spotted by 9to5Google on a support page that lists other deprecated Google Assistant features, including more than a dozen that were dropped early last year. Among the chopped Google Assistant features that owners of Nest smart speakers and displays might miss is Family Bell, which allowed users to create reminder bells for family events such as breakfast or dinner time.
Originally launched back in 2020 at the height of the Covid pandemic, Family Bell was actually marked for deletion more than a year ago, but it continued to work for many users past its expiration date. Indeed, I can still access a Family Bell settings page in the Google Home app for iOS. That said, the presence of the Family Bell feature in the updated list of soon-to-be-removed Google Assistant features suggests that the function is about to be shut down for good.
Also on the chopping block is the ability to get birthday reminders using Routines—again, not a huge deal, but annoying for those who have integrated such reminders into their Google Assistant automations. Luckily, you’ll still be able to ask the Assistant to remind you about a given birthday.
Another feature that’s disappointing to lose is the ability to ask Google Assistant to favorite, share, or ask when a given photo was taken. That means no more asking “Hey Google, when was that picture taken?” when a cute photo of my daughter in grade school appears on my Nest Hub Max. Sure, you’ll still be able to tap the screen for sharing controls and images details (you can do the same in Google Photos too), but still, it’s just one less thing that Google Assistant can do.
Other Google Assistant features that are going away include the ability to change photo frame or ambient screen settings with your voice, translating a live conversation using interpreter mode, and getting daily updates from the Assistant.
The Google announcement didn’t note exactly when the Assistant features will be dropped.
Here’s the complete list, another with details on possible workarounds:
- 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.
Google announced last Friday that it would soon phase out Google Assistant across its mobile and smart devices, including Nest speakers and displays. Specifically, Google said that a “new experience” powered by Gemini would be coming to smart devices “later this year.”
