In order to concentrate on “quality and reliability,” Google is eliminating 17 “underutilized” features from Google Assistant, the company said on Thursday.
A message that a feature will no longer be accessible after a specific date will be sent to users who request one of the functionalities that are being deleted starting on January 26.
The announcement coincides with Google’s mass layoff of hundreds of workers across its hardware, Google Assistant, and other businesses.
The ability to send audio, video, or email messages using your voice is one of the services that will be eliminated. Additionally, users won’t be able to use their voice to book reservations, submit payments, or post on social media.
Google also revealed that the microphone icon in the Google app will now cause your inquiries to prompt Search results. This will prevent you from using the microphone in the Search bar to send messages or turn on the lights. According to Google, Pixel smartphones will also be affected since Voice Search will now be activated instead of Assistant via the microphone in the Pixel Search bar.
This development comes three months after Google unveiled Assistant with Bard, an upgraded assistant driven by generative AI technology.
