Google Assistant is a convenient feature that really shines when you need to handle tasks on the fly. With just your voice, you can ask Google to answer your calls, reply to messages, and much more. If you already have the feature set up, you know how helpful it can be, but a new bug is turning the assistant into an annoyance. Even if you haveGoogle Assistantquick phrases set up on your Pixel phone, you might start receiving a popup that suggests you have not.
Those who own a Pixel 6 or newer — the models with a Google Tensor chip — have been encountering the issue, which delivers a notification stating, “Skip ‘Hey Google’ for certain tasks" (via9to5Google). It can be swiped away, but nonetheless, it’s a needless reminder if you already have this feature set up. Some people are receiving the notification daily, even after verifying in their settings that the feature is enabled. Thus far, the bug has been spotted on both Android 13 and 14.
Google Assistant has proven to be useful in a number of situations, but it seems destined to remain flawed. Recently, the assistant became more versatile with the rollout of a new-old feature.What’s on my screenhas returned, allowing Google Assistant to bring up search results based on what you have on your display, a spin on the functionality offered through Lens. However, even this feature isn’t reliable, with many Android users reporting issues prompting it to appear.
There’s a chance that the use of AI could help Google Assistant overcome some hurdles in the future. Code has suggested thatgenerative AI is being integrated into Assistant. The assistant can already read an entire webpage of content out loud, but a new “Summarize” button should soon appear beside the existing “Read” button that would presumably give you a brief rundown of the page, but the function does not appear to be widely available just yet.
It’s well known that Google has shifted its focus toward AI, so it’s not surprising that it could be leveraging the technology to improve existing products and services. That being said, what are consumers supposed to think if they continue to encounter bugs, despite the integration? Some Google products and services are noticeably better (and more functional) than others, and it’s hard not to think that the company has spread itself thin. Whether AI helps Google resolve some of these glaring problems has yet to be seen, but it should take any it can get.
