In an attempt to streamline the platform and “focus on quality and reliability,” Google is axing 17 features from Google Assistant. The move corresponds with news the tech company is laying off hundreds of employees from its voice assistant division, as well as the exit of Fitbit co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman.
Google hasn’t revealed an exact date for removing features, but in the next few months, you’ll no longer be able to use your voice to send emails or audio messages, reschedule events in Google Calendar with your voice, or check your travel itinerary by voice. The full list of removals is staggering, encompassing 17 abilities.
Here’s a look at what’s disappearing, pulled directly from Google’s official blog post.
Google notes that attempting to trigger a feature on the chopping block will result in a pop-up alerting you to when it’ll officially disappear. The post ends by saying consumers can voice their opinion about the cuts by saying, “Hey, Google, send feedback,” and then speaking their minds.
While the end goal might be to create a more streamlined Google Assistant, there’s no denying that laying off employees and removing features is a bad look. Google doesn’t seem to have a problem pivoting and cutting products as the market dictates (look no further than Google Glass for an example), and there’s a good chance Assistant will look radically different in the future.
If its performance is anything like Alexa, which is losing tons of cash for Amazon, expect Google to keep iterating until the team finds something sustainable.
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