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Does anyone at Google care that you're trying to replace Assistant with this in the next few months and it can't set a timer yet? (I mean it will tell you it's

Does anyone at Google care that you're trying to replace Assistant with this in the next few months and it can't set a timer yet? (I mean it will tell you it's set a timer but it doesn't talk to the native clock app so nothing ever goes off if you navigate away from the window.)

hnuser123456 2y ago
I doubt the guy working on the code sandbox can do anything about the overall resource allocation towards ensuring all legacy assistant features still work as well as they used to. That being said, I was trying to navigate out of an unexpected construction zone and asked google to navigate me home, and it repeatedly tried to open the map on my watch and lock my phone screen. I had to pull over and use my thumbs to start navigation the old fashioned way.
arebop 2y ago
The Assistant can't reliably set timers either, though I guess 80% is considerably better than 0. Still, I think it used to be better back before Google caught a glimpse of a different squirrel to chase.
7bit 2y ago
It can't do shit, especially in some EU countries, where it can do even less shit. Setting timers reminders, calendar events. Nothing. If they kill the assistant, I'll go Apple, no matter how much I hate it.
- GrayShade 2y ago
  Just tested, you need to enable "Gemini Apps", but they remember your interactions for 3, 18 or 36 months instead of 3 days.
  - 7bit 2y ago
    Yeah, I disabled that when I tested it. No go for me, but thanks for informing me!
  - Mindwipe 2y ago
    Gemini Apps doesn't offer the ability to talk to the clock app on Samsung devices.
iury-sza 2y ago
I keep reading people complaining about this but I can't understand why. Gemini can 100% set timers and with much more subtle hints than assistant ever could. It just works. I don't get why people say it can't. It can also play music or turn on my smart lamps, change their colors etc. I can't remember doing any special configuration for it to do that either. Pixel 9 pro
- jdiff 2y ago
  I certainly can't get it to reliably play music on my Pixel 8. Mostly it summons YT Music, only occasionally do I get my music player, and sometimes I merely get "I'm an LLM, I can't help you with that." And you used to be able to say "Find my phone" and it would chime and max screen brightness until found. Tried that with Gemini once, and it went on with very detailed instructions on using Google or Apple's Find My Device website (depending on what type of phone I owned), maybe calling it from another device if it's not silenced, or perhaps accepting that my device was lost or stolen if none of the above worked. Did find it during that lengthy attempt at being helpful though. Another fun example, weather. When Gemini's in control, "What's the weather like tonight?" gets a short ramble about how weather depends on climate, with some examples of what the weather might be like broadly in Canada, Japan, or the United States at night. Unlike Assistant where you could learn to adapt to its unique phrasing preferences, you just flat out can never reliably predict what Gemini's going to do. In exchange for higher peak performance, the floor dropped out the bottom.
dgunay 2y ago
I dislike Google's (mis)management of Assistant as much as the next guy, but this just has not been my experience. I can tell Gemini on my phone to set timers and it works just fine.
ChadNauseam 2y ago
I have a rooted pixel with a flashed custom android ROM, which should be a nightmare scenario for gemini, and it can set timers just fine (and the timers show up in the native clock app)
nosrepa 2y ago
I just want the assistant voice. I hate the Gemini ones.
- whatevertrevor 2y ago
  I'm with you on that. I prefer a human trying to sound like a robot instead of a robot trying to sound human.

hnuser123456 2y ago

I doubt the guy working on the code sandbox can do anything about the overall resource allocation towards ensuring all legacy assistant features still work as well as they used to. That being said, I was trying to navigate out of an unexpected construction zone and asked google to navigate me home, and it repeatedly tried to open the map on my watch and lock my phone screen. I had to pull over and use my thumbs to start navigation the old fashioned way.

arebop 2y ago

The Assistant can't reliably set timers either, though I guess 80% is considerably better than 0. Still, I think it used to be better back before Google caught a glimpse of a different squirrel to chase.

7bit 2y ago

It can't do shit, especially in some EU countries, where it can do even less shit. Setting timers reminders, calendar events. Nothing. If they kill the assistant, I'll go Apple, no matter how much I hate it.

GrayShade 2y ago
Just tested, you need to enable "Gemini Apps", but they remember your interactions for 3, 18 or 36 months instead of 3 days.
- 7bit 2y ago
  Yeah, I disabled that when I tested it. No go for me, but thanks for informing me!
- Mindwipe 2y ago
  Gemini Apps doesn't offer the ability to talk to the clock app on Samsung devices.

iury-sza 2y ago

I keep reading people complaining about this but I can't understand why. Gemini can 100% set timers and with much more subtle hints than assistant ever could. It just works. I don't get why people say it can't. It can also play music or turn on my smart lamps, change their colors etc. I can't remember doing any special configuration for it to do that either. Pixel 9 pro

jdiff 2y ago
I certainly can't get it to reliably play music on my Pixel 8. Mostly it summons YT Music, only occasionally do I get my music player, and sometimes I merely get "I'm an LLM, I can't help you with that." And you used to be able to say "Find my phone" and it would chime and max screen brightness until found. Tried that with Gemini once, and it went on with very detailed instructions on using Google or Apple's Find My Device website (depending on what type of phone I owned), maybe calling it from another device if it's not silenced, or perhaps accepting that my device was lost or stolen if none of the above worked. Did find it during that lengthy attempt at being helpful though. Another fun example, weather. When Gemini's in control, "What's the weather like tonight?" gets a short ramble about how weather depends on climate, with some examples of what the weather might be like broadly in Canada, Japan, or the United States at night. Unlike Assistant where you could learn to adapt to its unique phrasing preferences, you just flat out can never reliably predict what Gemini's going to do. In exchange for higher peak performance, the floor dropped out the bottom.

dgunay 2y ago

I dislike Google's (mis)management of Assistant as much as the next guy, but this just has not been my experience. I can tell Gemini on my phone to set timers and it works just fine.

ChadNauseam 2y ago

I have a rooted pixel with a flashed custom android ROM, which should be a nightmare scenario for gemini, and it can set timers just fine (and the timers show up in the native clock app)

nosrepa 2y ago

I just want the assistant voice. I hate the Gemini ones.

whatevertrevor 2y ago
I'm with you on that. I prefer a human trying to sound like a robot instead of a robot trying to sound human.