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Since we introduced Google Assistant seven years ago, it\u2019s been incredible to see how voice technology has transformed the way we get things done at home and work. Today, Assistant helps hundreds of millions of people around the world cross off their to-do lists.<\/p>\n
Over the years, we\u2019ve made it even easier to accomplish your tasks with Assistant \u2014 thanks, in large part, to your feedback. And in order to keep improving your experience and build the best Assistant yet, we\u2019re making a few changes to focus on quality and reliability \u2014 ultimately making it easier to use Assistant across devices.<\/p>\n
First, as we continue to make Google Assistant more helpful, we’re prioritizing the experiences you love and investing in the underlying technology to make them even better \u2014 which means that some underutilized features will no longer be supported. You can find a list of these features, including suggestions of what you can use in place of them (where alternatives are available). Beginning on January 26, when you ask for one of these features, you may get a notification that it won\u2019t be available after a certain date.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re also bringing you a more consistent experience within the Google app: The microphone icon will now trigger Search results in response to your queries, which is its most popular use case. You can continue to activate Assistant as you always have: Just say \u201cHey Google\u201d or long press on the home or power button (on select phones) on Android, or open the Google Assistant app on iOS. But you\u2019ll no longer be able to use the microphone icon in the Search bar to complete actions like \u201cturn on the lights\u201d or \u201csend a message.\u201d This includes the microphone in the Pixel Search bar, which will now activate Voice Search instead of Assistant. And to ensure you have access to the best, most up-to-date version of Google Assistant, you\u2019ll be prompted to upgrade the Google app if you\u2019re using an older version (v12 and older).<\/p>\n
We know change can be disruptive, but we\u2019ll do everything we can to make these transitions as smooth as possible. While Google Assistant has evolved a lot over the last seven years, one thing remains true: Our improvements are driven by your feedback. And we want to hear it. Just say, \u201cHey Google, send feedback\u201d and share your comments with us.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n