Key Takeaways
- Gemini and Gemini Live are aimed at enhancing the voice-activated assistant experience.
- Gemini Live offers users free conversation and new features.
- Google has said that despite its focus on Gemini and Gemini Live, Google Assistant will stick around for the time being.
With the release of Gemini and Gemini Live, Google’s more conversational and context-aware voice-activated assistant is now at the forefront of the company’s smartphone product line.
Gemini is a simpler AI platform.Apple Intelligence Compared to other LLM-powered platforms being worked on by tech giants, Gemini Live goes a step further by allowing users to converse freely, with the ability to interrupt mid-response to dig deeper into a particular point. You can also pause a conversation and resume it at a later date, or continue chatting with the Assistant when your device is locked and in your pocket. In a way, Google is fulfilling the original promise that Google Assistant made when it launched in 2016, giving Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro/Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold users a voice-activated assistant that feels much more natural than anything that came before.
Customers love using the Google Assistant to control devices in their home, like speakers and TVs, and we continue to invest in it.
However, Gemini Live (currently Gemini Advance As the number of subscribers grows, questions arise about the future of Google Assistant, especially for smart home users with third-party Home app-enabled devices. Currently, on a smartphone, both Gemini and Gemini Live allow you to use voice commands to turn some smart home products on and off, but the behavior is inconsistent and requires you to unlock the device first. For example, many appliances in my house require you to unlock them. Philips Hue smart lighting I can turn them on via Gemini/Gemini Live, but I can’t turn them off and sometimes they’re just not responsive at all — it’s far from what a seamless smart home experience should be. This extra step, and the various glitches I encountered, make me wish I could just turn on a traditional light switch.
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During a question-and-answer interview following Google’s Pixel 9 launch, Jen Fitzpatrick, the tech giant’s senior vice president of core systems and experiences, said that Google Assistant will stick around for the time being, despite the company shifting its focus to Gemini and, more recently, its upcoming Gemini Live platform.
“Google Assistant is something people love to use to control devices in their home, like speakers and TVs, and we plan to continue investing in it,” said Jen Fitzpatrick, emphasizing that while Google’s efforts are currently focused on Gemini, the company is keenly aware that its new “built-in personal AI assistant” cannot yet do all of Assistant’s functions.
Fitzpatrick also said that Google is working to bring Gemini to other devices, such as its Nest Audio smart speakers.
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“We’re announcing the introduction of several Gemini models to make Google Assistant even more conversational on these devices. At the same time, we’re excited to enable customers to use Gemini Assistant as a personal assistant on their phone to enable highly complex use cases that span multiple apps and services.”
For anyone with countless Google Assistant-enabled devices in their home, it’s reassuring to know that Google is aware of these issues and that the company has no plans to abandon its vast smart home ecosystem.
If you want to switch back to the classic Google Assistant, the process is very simple. Gemini Settings It’s in the top right corner of the Gemini app, under your profile picture. Then, Digital AssistantAnd finally, Choose a digital assistantAnd then, Google Assistant This can be selected as an option.