Android users note a decline in Google Assistant's performance
Apple has constantly been on the defensive about squandering the head start it had when it introduced Siri with the iPhone 4s in 2011. Numerous tests over the years have placed Google Assistant firmly at the top of the list of virtual digital assistants with Amazon's Alexa second and Siri in third. When Microsoft offered the Cortana app, which is no longer available for iOS and Android, it usually finished third above Siri or dead last.
But lately, Android users, even some with Pixel handsets, have noticed a decline in Google Assistant's performance. Some believe that Google is allowing this to happen because it plans on using its AI chatbot Bard to replace Assistant and this theory can be found on several social media sites including Reddit.
Reddit subscribers have noticed that Google Assistant has been getting slower and has "degraded" over time
As a Reddit subscriber named "bazbae" noted earlier this year, "Google Assistant has become increasingly nerfed over time, and even the basic uses (e.g. setting alarms/timers/playing music) seem to have become so buggy and inconsistent. It's disappointing, it was so good back at the beginning." Other Reddit posts include statements such as, "It (Google Assistant) is so much worse than it used to be," and, "Assistant has degraded over time." And there is this one, "Assistant across all my Google devices has gotten worse. My P7 Pro, Nest Hub, Pixel Tablet, Nest Mini...it's all bad."
Google Assistant is on the decline many Android and Pixel users say
Some complain that Google Assistant no longer understands what question they are asking the Assistant to answer, or what task they are asking the Assistant to perform. Check out this Reddit post: "I swear Google Assistant has become so dumb the past couple weeks. It can't understand basic sentences unless I talk like a robot right into the mic, or it straight-up ignores me. Or when I yell NEXT to my Google Home, it plays the next YouTube video on my phone instead of the next song on the speaker. WTF??? This never happened before and little things like this have gotten so annoying."
Personally, I've noted that Google Assistant is taking much longer to answer questions and perform tasks. Even something simple as setting a 5-minute timer can test your patience. And while many Android users seem to be on top of this decline, Google has so many balls up in the air right now that it isn't clear if fixing Assistant is on the company's "To-do list.
Siri directs users to the web to get their answers too many times
Does this mean that Siri is becoming a better assistant than Google? No. Siri has many issues of its own including its propensity to answer most questions by saying, "I found this on the web. Check it out" instead of simply stating or revealing the answer that you're looking for on the display.
With AI, there is the possibility of receiving responses that are completely made up and chatbots do "hallucinate" at times. If Google is degrading Assistant with plans to replace it with Bard, this might give Apple the opportunity to improve Siri and take its virtual digital assistant to the level that many believe it should be at.
Digital assistants have become so important for so many smartphone users that improvements for all mobile platforms and all assistants need to happen. And we're not necessarily convinced that using AI chatbots is the answer. There are still some things that digital assistants do that AI might not improve on such as setting alarms and timers, repeating sports scores, the weather, and converting currencies.
It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa. Perhaps we should check back here in about three years to see what has happened. Hold on now while I set a reminder with my digital assistant for three-years from today.
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