WTF Google?

[WelshBloke]

So my lovely Google now has updated to Google Assistant.

There's no text input?

Really?

Thats really not helpful Google!

 

[tsupersonic]

I don't have Assistant on my 6P yet (insert rant here) but from what I have read, you can disable it and have Google Now back? That is kinda phooey if you can't disable it. I mean Allo has Assistant w/ text input...

 

[sweenish]

And there's always the search bar or Google Feed with a search bar.

Given that Assistant is activated by voice or home button long press, and neither of those options allowed for text input with Google Now, I don't see the point of this "complaint."

 

[WelshBloke]

I don't have Assistant on my 6P yet (insert rant here) but from what I have read, you can disable it and have Google Now back? That is kinda phooey if you can't disable it. I mean Allo has Assistant w/ text input...

You can (and I have) go back to the old version but I suspect that you won't be able to when it runs out to all areas.

If you want it try switching your language to US English then clearing all data from the Google app. Then wait ten minutes and long press the home button.

And there's always the search bar or Google Feed with a search bar.

Both of those mean that I have to leave what I'm doing and go to the home screen, then open up a search, then go back to my app later, vs just long pressing the home button.

Given that Assistant is activated by voice or home button long press, and neither of those options allowed for text input with Google Now, I don't see the point of this "complaint."

Long pressing the home button does give you text input. Thats how I search all the time.

The point of this complaint is if you're not using voice search (and there's a bunch of places its inappropriate) this makes searching a lot clunkier.

 

[sweenish]

Long press for Google Now has never provided direct text input. It provided OCR and I believe a button for a generic search. I've never used that. If that's what you're referring to, then sure, I guess a feature is missing. I see long press, tap button to search, get taken to results as no different than tap home, tap search bar, get taken to results.

With Nougat, you even just double tap recents to back to your previous app. I still don't see the point here.

 

[WelshBloke]

Long press for Google Now has never provided direct text input.

This is what comes up when I long press home.

That bar at the top let's you put text in.

 

[sweenish]

Huh. I don't remember that at all.

So I obviously never felt the need to have/use it. I guess a feature has been stripped, then.

 

[tsupersonic]

You can (and I have) go back to the old version but I suspect that you won't be able to when it runs out to all areas.

If you want it try switching your language to US English then clearing all data from the Google app. Then wait ten minutes and long press the home button.

It's already set to US English.

This is what comes up when I long press home.

That bar at the top let's you put text in.

This is Google Now On Tap (aka Screen Search), not Assistant.

 

[WelshBloke]

It's already set to US English.

Did you try clearing the app data?

This is Google Now On Tap (aka Screen Search), not Assistant.

I know, and thats the way it's going to stay for as long as I can keep it! I reverted to it because, well being blunt, assistant is a bit horrible if you dont like looking like a numpty and having unnecessary conversations with an inanimate object!
Being not blunt, I couldn't find anything that assistant could do better than Google now but with the disadvantage that it's voice only and it chats.

 

[Raduque]

People are saying on reddit to set it to English US Virgin Islands to get back to the Now/On Tap interface.

 

[WelshBloke]

People are saying on reddit to set it to English US Virgin Islands to get back to the Now/On Tap interface.

I set it to UK English.

Which is just English really.

Unfortunately that not going to work when they release it everywhere.

 

[Raduque]

I set it to UK English.

Which is just English really.

Unfortunately that not going to work when they release it everywhere.

Yes, that will most definitely be a problem. Hopefully, Google will simply forget about Assistant (like they did with over half their previous portfolio) and halt the rollout.

 

[WelshBloke]

I'm fairly certain that they'll put text input into it.

 

[WelshBloke]

Well I had this nice email from Google...

"Hi,
Thanks for your feedback. This is what you told us:
really needs text input!
You can now type to your Google Assistant in addition to using your voice... "

And indeed you can!

So that was nice.

 

[georatm]

So my lovely Google now has updated to Google Assistant.

There's no text input?

Really?

Thats really not helpful Google!

Google assistant is the biggest disappointment ever.

 

[Commodus]

Google assistant is the biggest disappointment ever.

I see it more as the iMovie of AI helpers. There's a huge underlying improvement, but the big reset means that some features people took for granted will take a while to come back. (Also: text input did arrive, as you may have noticed)

 

[sweenish]

Once it can identify music again, from my phone, I'll call it an overall improvement. Right now, I still see it as a lateral move.

I still like it overall.

 

[WelshBloke]

Once it can identify music again, from my phone, I'll call it an overall improvement. Right now, I still see it as a lateral move.

I still like it overall.

Widget menu from home screen > Google app > sound search

 

[WelshBloke]

I don't find the assistant particularly useful but voice interaction seems better all round when using stuff like Android Auto.

 

[tsupersonic]

I don't find the assistant particularly useful but voice interaction seems better all round when using stuff like Android Auto.

I'd say the times I use Assistant: 95% in car through Android Auto, 5% for all other times when I have my 6P in my hand. It is pretty nice with Android Auto.

 

[MrSquished]

Both of those mean that I have to leave what I'm doing and go to the home screen, then open up a search, then go back to my app later, vs just long pressing the home button.

You can use a launcher like Nova and check off 'Persistent search bar'

 

[WelshBloke]

I'd say the times I use Assistant: 95% in car through Android Auto, 5% for all other times when I have my 6P in my hand. It is pretty nice with Android Auto.

Android autos pretty good, I wish that I could stop it trying to play music requests in tunein radio rather than Google play though. It seems to do that at random!

 

[WelshBloke]

You can use a launcher like Nova and check off 'Persistent search bar'

Well it's got text input now so it's not an issue!

 

[tsupersonic]

Android autos pretty good, I wish that I could stop it trying to play music requests in tunein radio rather than Google play though. It seems to do that at random!

Hmm weird, I don't have TuneIn radio, so it hasn't done that for me. The only other compatible music app I have for Android Auto is Audible.

 

[sweenish]

Widget menu from home screen > Google app > sound search

Nope, much like you, I'm not about to get all roundabout for a feature that was present before.