THE retirement of the beloved Google Assistant for Android phone owners is now set to extend to iPhone owners.
Earlier this month, Google announced it would be phasing out its Google Assistant by the end of the year.
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The voice assistant, which has been around since 2016, is being replaced with Gemini – Google’s smarter, AI-fuelled voice assistant.
The switch is happening across Android devices, which use Google Assistant like iPhone owners use Apple’s Siri.
But a number of Google apps that rely on the voice assistant may also be affected, even for iOS users.
That includes Waze – the Google-owned maps app.
Waze users on iPhone will soon notice the navigation platform swap out Google Assistant for Gemini.
For now, Google Assistant will stay in Waze for Android.
The older voice assistant has been displaying some glitches in the iOS app, which is hoped to be fixed by the switch to the newer, shinier Gemini.
“Rather than simply patching a feature that has faced ongoing difficulties, we’ve decided to phase out Google Assistant on iOS starting tomorrow and replace it with an enhanced voice interaction solution in the near future,” Waze wrote in a recent community forum post.
While Google Assistant’s gradual retirement has sparked fury among Android owners, the succession will bring some upgrades.
Users will be able to use natural language to communicate with Gemini, in a way that was not possible with its predecessor.
That means users can stop using specific phrasing or commands to make requests – and instead talk to the voice assistant like they would a human.
Gemini will even ask follow-up questions where necessary.
So you might say “there’s a bin in the road” or something else fairly informal and Waze will understand what you mean through Gemini.
The app will then make sure the correct report is logged for other users.
Most users have welcomed the transition, but not everyone is convinced.
“One thing I hate about Google is they kill perfectly good things and call it innovation,” one person wrote on Reddit.
Another added: “The last time I tried Gemini Assistant or whatever it’s called, it couldn’t even set a timer.”
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