this post was submitted on 14 Mar 2025
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We’re upgrading Google Assistant users on mobile to Gemini, offering a new kind of help only possible with the power of AI.

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[–] FireWire400@lemmy.world 6 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (1 children)

Gemini is hardly an uprade to Assistant, though. Gemini can't do any task automation (aka the one thing Google Assistant could do) because it's a LLM that most likely doesn't even 'know' that it's being run on a phone....

[–] Quexotic@infosec.pub 1 points 1 hour ago

Yes. This is why I've disabled it repeatedly when it supplants my assistant.

If they remove automation, well, that was the one thing standing between me and de-googling.

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 8 points 6 hours ago

Well, too bad, i have replaced Google on my phone.

[–] Geth@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 8 hours ago (3 children)

I find Gemini has better communication and comprehension ability compared with assistant, but can do even less when it comes to controlling the phone. No reminders, no calendar events, no messages, no integration with anything. Just talking.

I would have preferred assistant talk and understand better, instead of a completly gimped alternative that does that and nothing more.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 3 hours ago

Exactly, and maybe I'm a outlier, but I have no intention of speaking to my device like it's a human. Ever.

[–] surewhynotlem@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago

Mine does reminders and events now. It can also do Google home stuff.

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 7 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Integrations with the phone's functionality is key. I don't care how clever the brain is, it needs to talk to the rest of the body.

[–] AynRandLibertarian@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago (3 children)

I'm somewhat of a boomer, what sort of things can you do through assistant?

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

I use it to set reminders and alarms. I don't keep the "OK google" stuff on, I just hold the power button for a second or two until the assistant pops up (or at least used to, I haven't done it in a while so I'm not sure if it's stupid gemini now instead), then just say like, "remind me friday at 3pm to call the doctor" and it does it.

[–] HiTekRedNek@lemm.ee 4 points 3 hours ago

Set or change alarms, add reminders to your calendar, ask about those things, send text messages, start phone calls, have it read out last text messages received.

When I was a truck driver, my wife could test me, and I could just listen to a transcript of what she sent instead of calling her and asking what she typed.

"Hey Google, read my last text"

"Hey Google, send a text to , 'Quit texting me while I'm driving, woman!" Stuff like that. 🤣

Usually quick things in the car when I don't have hands.

  • Ask about weather
  • Set a reminder
  • Reply to a text
[–] astro_plane@lemm.ee 20 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (1 children)

If this is pushed through a silent update then I'll use adb to remove it. I don't need a useless ai assistant hogging precious memory.

I feel bad for for the folks who have their phone gimped overnight and they won't have a clue why no clue why. So many people with older phones are going to need to upgrade their phone because of this forced update. Talk about e-waste.

[–] Routhinator@startrek.website 1 points 2 hours ago

It probably already is. AICore is a service thats been getting snuck on the andoids for a couple of months, ever since AndroidSystemSafety was push on silently, which is effectively like recall and scans all your photos and files in the background.

[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 25 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

I got the change and immediately put it back to Google assistant. I don't want AI. I want to tell my phone when to set my alarm clock.

[–] blindbunny@lemmy.ml 1 points 12 hours ago (1 children)
[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Settings> type "assistant settings" in search> digital assistants from google> click on Google assistant

[–] blindbunny@lemmy.ml 2 points 11 hours ago
[–] AnAmericanPotato@programming.dev 94 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

Gemini might be good at something, but I'll never know because it is bad at all the things I have ever used the assistant for. If it's good at anything at all, it's something I don't need or want.

Looking forward to 2027 when Google Gemini is replaced by Google Assistant (not to be confused with today's Google Assistant, totally different product).

[–] marsokod@lemmy.world 25 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Seriously, I tried Gemini for a while but it is mostly useless. It can it open my apps, cannot control Home Assistant, cannot send a message to someone.

[–] Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 hours ago

Yeah, it has a total lack of any of the integrations that made Assistant actually useful.

Even if an LLM offers meaningful improvements on the core conversational elements of Assistant, launching it without all the needed integrations is idiotic and completely hamstrings the functionality.

[–] OldManBOMBIN@lemmy.world 13 points 19 hours ago

I swapped to Gemini for a month or two. Kept thinking to myself "maybe I'm not speaking clearly," and other justifications. Turns out it just sucks. Now I just do everything manually. Fuck em.

[–] madcaesar@lemmy.world 43 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

🤣 Gemini is the worst of all the ais. It can't even do the most basic shit like set reminders.

Google has fallen so hard. They are just pure ad garbage now.

[–] glimse@lemmy.world 8 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Timers are literally the only thing I use it for.

[–] MaggiWuerze@feddit.org 4 points 16 hours ago

Just like Google Assistant

[–] FartsWithAnAccent@fedia.io 31 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

No fucking thanks! Gemini is garbage.

[–] sirber@lemmy.ca 2 points 4 hours ago

But Google likes garbage...

[–] shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit@sh.itjust.works 28 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (1 children)

I use Google Assistant a lot. I tried the Gemini Assistant on my phone and it was an exercise in frustration.

Me: (after pausing the tv) "Resume TV"

Google: (resumes playback on TV)

Gemini: "TV not recognised. Please say the device name" or even worse... "A resume is essential when you're looking for a job in television. Your resume should blah blah..."


Me: (with phone locked) "set a timer for xxx"

Google: "setting a timer for xxx, starting now"

Gemini: "I'm unable to set timers, please unlock your phone, open xxx and (lengthy step by step instructions)", or "setting a timer for yyy" (completely wrong time).

[–] heavydust@sh.itjust.works 22 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

They activated Gemini at work to auto-complete stuff in emails. I work in IT, and I was not aware of that. I was typing the sentence "we will need some help" and was about to add "in the project blah blah" but Gemini came with its amazing auto-completion and added something like "in the street where they sell sausages".

AI was a mistake, and I didn't use it since that day. Waste of time, waste of everything.

[–] potentiallynotfelix@lemmy.fish 8 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Is there a viable replacement to google assistant that's self hosted or local?

[–] PeteWheeler@lemmy.world 11 points 14 hours ago

Home assistant

[–] Hominine@lemmy.world 15 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

Once again, thank goodness for GrapheneOS.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 3 hours ago

Seriously considering this for my next phone. I currently have a Pixel 6, so I'm thinking I'll get another Pixel, try grapheneOS on the 6 to get comfortable with it, before doing it to the new phone.

Never have I appreciated not having features so much.

[–] ReallyActuallyFrankenstein@lemmynsfw.com 14 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (1 children)

Google Assistant: Let's build a product around functionality.

Gemini: Let's build functionality around a product.

Any guess which method works better?

[–] BossDj@lemm.ee 4 points 15 hours ago

Works better to satisfy shareholders?

[–] Geodad@lemm.ee 6 points 15 hours ago

Also except my Pixel running Graphene OS.

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 14 points 19 hours ago (4 children)

Good thing I never used Google Assistant then.

[–] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

Same here. Really looking forward to not using their new product. How exciting.

[–] Maeve@kbin.earth 8 points 18 hours ago (3 children)

I feel bad for visually impaired.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 3 hours ago

Or people who don't have, or have lost, motor function in their hands.

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Astute point, they're throwing the baby out with the bathwater here and hurting the disabled community to push their inferior product that nobody really asked for.

Just because I don't use it doesn't mean others who need it also don't.

[–] Maeve@kbin.earth 4 points 17 hours ago

It happens, we forget the sheet diversity of experiences because we're human. I try to have multiperspectivity, but even that is limited to one's own experiences and imaginative abilities, on the best days.

I feel jealous for the hearing impaired. Just think of everyone and they're dog showing off how dumb it is all the time.

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[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 13 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Will they hold the power button hostage again?

[–] Blaster_M@lemmy.world 6 points 18 hours ago

Gemini eats glue. We need a much more reliable model to replace Assistant.

[–] Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 5 points 18 hours ago

Is there a tradein program to get my old phone back?

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