Google Assistant is about to lose 17 different features that the company says are “underutilized.” The changes come at a time when the technology giant is laying off large numbers of employees, Including many from the Google Assistant teamaccording to CNBC.
Google posted Blog post Thursday details feature cuts, which it says will ultimately help create a “more consistent experience” for virtual assistant users.
Some of the available features include things like using your voice to send an email or voice message, the ability to check personal travel itineraries by voice, voice control options for Fitbit Sense and Versa 3, meditation integration with Calm, and other convenient features. Options. The full list of features that will disappear can be found below here.
Starting January 26, users trying to access these features will be greeted with a notification stating that they are no longer available after a certain date. To the relief of app users who may already have liked many of these features, Google had the following to say:
We know that change can be disruptive, but we will do everything we can to make these transitions as smooth as possible. Although Google Assistant has evolved a lot over the past seven years, one thing remains true: our improvements are driven by your feedback. And we want to hear it.
Even if Google wants to frame these latest changes as a way to make the Assistant user experience leaner and cleaner, it’s also hard not to see them as related to the fact that the company just downsized the team responsible for app development.
Google laid off hundreds of workers from its hardware and engineering divisions on Thursday, the most significant reductions the company has seen since. Separate methods With 12,000 workers early last year. Like other tech companies, Google announced these labor cuts Partially due To pivot towards greater reliance on artificial intelligence.