Google Assistant Usefulness (Please rate)

How useful do you find Google Assistant?

  • Extremely. Use it every day

  • It is OK, but struggle sometimes with irrelevant results etc

  • Not useful. It is simply easier to do what I want to do on my phone manually.

Results are only viewable after voting.
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Ockie

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Hi guys. I have been playing around a bit with it on my Samsung phone and the two things I would most likely use it for is to make a phone call while driving or send a message while driving. I have noticed though that the recognition of names in my contacts is vertiually non existant. It just does not recognize the names. I have tried playing with the phonetic field in the google contacts but does not seem to make a difference.

How useful is Google Assistant to you guys. For me as it is, not much.
 
Wasn’t this a thing that just didn’t work at all and has nothing to do with pronunciation?

I remember complaining about exactly this when testing Android Auto, but was advised by people since that it had been fixed.

Google Assistant I played with for my Smart Home stuff (granted on iPhone not native Android) and just couldn’t deal with it.

Not to be a fanboy statement just an observation but I don’t have any of these issues with Siri when calling my contacts. I do however have weird quirks sometimes with things like Makro etc, but it’s 1 in every 8 times.
 
I use it every day for Google Home Mini, use it for reminders and alarms or skipping tracks if my hands are full.
On my phone only for settings alarms and the base reminder as it is faster to say than it is to pick the time, then go and fix the text as it usually messes up on dictation.

For calling, I think I've only used it once or twice, I never touch my phone while driving, only accept via hands-less if in traffic.


Google did roll out an update recently that improved dictation substantially, think around a week ago, same one they use on the newer Pixels.
 
Johnatan56 said:
I use it every day for Google Home Mini, use it for reminders and alarms or skipping tracks if my hands are full.
On my phone only for settings alarms and the base reminder as it is faster to say than it is to pick the time, then go and fix the text as it usually messes up on dictation.

For calling, I think I've only used it once or twice, I never touch my phone while driving, only accept via hands-less if in traffic.


Google did roll out an update recently that improved dictation substantially, think around a week ago, same one they use on the newer Pixels.
Click to expand...

Well, it does seem to dictate very well. I tested it by saying "send a message". I would then ask me to who and then I get stuck because it cant bloody recognize the name, so I pick manually, then it asks what app I want to send with, so I say "Telegram" and then it goes ahead and I can dictate, and that part actually works really well. It is just the names that ****s out. It seems unless everyone in your phone book have got stock standard common American names then you are screwed.
 
If this is a real AI, then why not build in a option where we can actually teach it? In Google Contacts, let us imprint the actual voice pronunciation for it to learn it. That is what AI is supposed to be is it not?
 
Ockie said:
Well, it does seem to dictate very well. I tested it by saying "send a message". I would then ask me to who and then I get stuck because it cant bloody recognize the name, so I pick manually, then it asks what app I want to send with, so I say "Telegram" and then it goes ahead and I can dictate, and that part actually works really well. It is just the names that ****s out. It seems unless everyone in your phone book have got stock standard common American names then you are screwed.
Click to expand...
Just tested on my phone, worked pretty well with a French name that I added pronunciation to.
It does mess up pretty bad on most surnames for me though as I change my accent for German surnames probably.

You mean say it and then have it recognize that? No clue.
 
Daily

I have Sonoff Basic's fitted in almost everything that I use daily and my Ewelink account is linked to Google. My light switches (most) are also Sonoff switches.

Hey google, turn on the bedroom fan (for this I've ripped out the innards of the fan and connected the Basic in such a way that it always turns on the fan on max)
Hey google, turn off kids' lights (will turn off both my daughters' rooms' lights
Hey google, turn on all the lights...
etc

I got gatvol of Alexa and sold my Echo.

Google is tops with the home automation integration. :thumbsup:
 
If you have had the unfortunate pleasure of dealing with Siri, you will see Google assistant as something from the Gods. It is miles ahead especially in understanding someone. I would rate it a 4/5
 
This is not about the assistant, but thought I would just mention it here instead of doing another thread.

I have been trying out the voice typing thing with Gboard. It actually works better with Afrikaans than English accuracy wise. How do you guys find it?
 
Works infinitely well when there is absolutely no background noise, no walking, music, breathing, talking.

I've had better results when you say your whole script without pause.

Hey Google, turn on light

vs

Hey Google turn on light
 
I have to say...once I have dont the nick names thing, it does seem to work a lot better. I can now say "OK Google .... phone Lizelle" and it does exactly as it is told. Not sure why though because I thought the idea of the nickname thing is to assign "sister" and then you have to use that term, but it now recognizes Lizelle 100%

I am working from home and we at the company all have 20GIG mobile data on our Samsung A51's, so I thought I would give it a go and said "OK Google, turn on Mobile Hotspot" and then I get "I cant change wi-fi hotspot yet". Oh well, first world problems I guess rofl. I have to admit, glad I could change the voice from female to male. :ROFL:
 
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