rewrite this title A Google Assistant shortcut is disappearing from the Pixel Launcher

by admin Post
3 minutes read
rewrite this title A Google Assistant shortcut is disappearing from the Pixel Launcher

What you need to know

  • The microphone icon, which is found in the search bar on the Pixel Launcher home screen, has now been re-mapped.
  • The change was announced earlier this month alongside the removal of 17 features in Google Assistant.
  • The microphone button was previously a Google Assistant shortcut. Now, it will respond to questions with Google Search results.

It’s never exciting to see a product or app lose functionality rather than gain it, but that’s what is happening with Google Assistant. Earlier this month, Google announced that it would be removing 17 “underutilized” features from Assistant. The move came amidst a flurry of layoffs, which have since been confirmed to continue. 

The purge of features is now beginning, and Pixel Launcher users will notice that the microphone icon in the search bar no longer triggers Assistant (via 9to5Google). The conversion of this icon’s purpose from serving as a Google Assistant shortcut to a Google Search tool is now “rolling out,” for lack of a better phrase. 


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