In addition to Google no longer updating third-party Smart Displays, the Nest Hub is set to lose Assistant voice apps and games in June, and users are now seeing a warning ahead of that.
“Conversational Actions” date back to 2016 as the first way third-parties could develop for Google Assistant. Later on, Google added support for touch input with Interactive Canvas, which led to several games.
Those Nest Hub games, as well as stories and educational experiences, are set to go away in June of 2023. They were often launched with “Hey Google, talk to [X]” or via the “Games” tab on Smart Displays.
That section today shows a “Games are going away” card/message: You can still ask me things like “What does an elephant sound like?”
Google is removing support for Conversation Actions as it’s focusing Assistant on Android. “App Actions” are meant to let developers add voice control to existing Android applications instead of creating an entirely independent experience that was device independent. It works on Android phones, tablets, Wear OS watches, Google/Android TV, and even cars (Auto/Automotive).
Last June, Google said it will “continue investing in all of the popular Assistant experiences users love, like Timers, Media, Home Automation, Communications, and more.” The company also told us it remains focused on building family experiences. This move was made before the ongoing generative AI boom that the Assistant team has been tasked with developing.
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