Google has decided to remove several capabilities from its Assistant that it believes are not being used enough. Starting January 26th, 17 different actions will slowly be eliminated over the following weeks.
While some options, like sending emails or video messages, will be completely gone, alternatives will be provided for certain features. However, integrations with services like Calm for meditation will be fully removed with no replacement.
The list covers abilities across mobile devices, smartwatches, and smart speakers. This includes reading audiobooks, setting media alarms, accessing recipes, controlling Fitbit devices, viewing sleep summaries, checking travel plans, and taking voice actions.
Google’s reasoning is to simplify the assistant and enhance the most popular capabilities. But the changes mean less flexibility and customization for what the assistant is capable of. Users are encouraged to review the detailed list of what will be disappearing to understand if they utilize any of these seldom-used functionalities.
The adjustments are intended to make Google Assistant more straightforward to interact with daily. But the eliminated integrations and actions show that Google believes they were not providing enough value for the development resources required.