Google eliminated help for this voice command, and I am nonetheless mad

Google kills off its merchandise at an alarming tempo. We most likely don’t want to fret about it killing off Pixel telephones, but it surely had no drawback shuttering Stadia after investing hundreds of thousands into it and lately even removed Google Podcasts, which one would have assumed to be a lock for very long time, contemplating the recognition of podcasts. At this level, I’ve realized to not connect myself an excessive amount of to something the corporate creates as a result of who is aware of if/when will probably be moved to the notorious Google Graveyard.

Nonetheless, there are some issues that you just suppose are so protected, so ironclad, that there’s no approach Google might kill them off. Considered one of these was a easy Google Assistant voice command that allowed you so as to add textual content entries into listing apps. Google supported this by means of a system known as Notes & Lists.

The way in which this labored is that third-party apps would combine the Notes & Lists API so customers might say issues to Assistant like, “Hey Google, add _____ to my _____ listing.” Intelligently, Assistant would know what listing you have been referring to in what app after which add that textual content. Mostly, this is able to be used so as to add an merchandise to a buying listing, such because the traditional, “Hey Google, add eggs to my grocery listing.”

Sadly, in 2023, Google inexplicably disabled Notes & Lists, together with virtually two dozen different Assistant options. This meant that each one third-party apps might not help utilizing Assistant voice instructions to govern lists and notes.

It’s been over a yr, and I’m nonetheless mad about it.

I used to make use of this command with an app known as AnyList, which, in my view, is the easiest way to maintain your buying organized. For groceries particularly, I’ve but to search out an app that makes issues as simple or intuitive as AnyList. And its core options are free, which is superior.

I used to have the ability to work within the kitchen, tending to a effervescent pot or palms lined in flour, and easily say, “Hey Google, add eggs to my grocery listing,” and the Assistant would add eggs to my grocery listing inside AnyList. This was extremely handy as a result of I might add issues as quickly as I considered them as an alternative of hoping I’d bear in mind the subsequent time I had my cellphone in my (hopefully clear) palms.

Concurrently, AnyList would transfer that new “eggs” entry to the dairy part of my grocery listing, retaining every part good and arranged in order that once I received to the grocery retailer, all my dairy gadgets have been collectively. This prevented me from needing to run across the retailer a number of occasions to search out my gadgets or sit there combing by means of my listing to see if I wanted to seize the rest earlier than transferring on to the subsequent division.

With the Notes & Lists capabilities eliminated, although, I can’t verbalize what I need to add to AnyList. I can’t even swap to a unique grocery app, because the elimination of Notes & Lists impacts each third-party app in that class, together with Deliver!, Todoist, Out Of Milk, and extra. After all, there’s one app that also works: Google Hold. With no choices left, I attempted to change to Hold.

Hold is horrible for buying lists: full cease. It’s too fundamental. Yeah, I could make a normal listing of issues I need to purchase, however Hold doesn’t robotically arrange them. In an effort to replicate what I received effortlessly from AnyList, I would want to say, “Hey Google, add eggs to my grocery listing,” open up Hold, after which transfer the brand new “eggs” entry to a manually-created dairy part of that listing. Hold will not be even good for this both, as transferring gadgets on an inventory within the app or on the internet is a horrible expertise, with listing gadgets bouncing round, indenting and un-indenting, and simply being chaotic. I would as effectively skip the voice command and Hold altogether and as an alternative simply manually add the merchandise to AnyList!

I’m not alone on this frustration, both. People on Reddit made it clear that they dislike not with the ability to use voice instructions with AnyList and that Hold will not be substitute. You’ll discover related complaints for Deliver!, Todoist, and Out Of Milk. It’s gotten to the purpose the place folks with app improvement abilities are attempting to work round the issue, like with this undertaking that pulls data from Hold to Todoist. There’s a related undertaking for transferring listing gadgets from Hold to AnyList, but it surely has no releases but, sadly.

The entire state of affairs turns into much more infuriating if you perceive that Siri and Alexa nonetheless help this operate. So I might purchase an inexpensive Echo Dot (or an iPhone) and use it only for this one factor. My complete sensible house is already constructed round Google, although, so this is able to simply be foolish.

The craziest factor about this, although, is that it’s been over a yr since Google took this characteristic away, and I’m nonetheless upset about it. I nonetheless get annoyed at any time when I add one thing to Hold, and it simply will get dumped to the highest of my unorganized grocery listing. I get even madder once I cease myself from including something to Hold and as an alternative make a psychological be aware to manually add it to AnyList later. I’ll admit that I’ve additionally taken to saying, “Hey Google, set a reminder in 10 minutes for me so as to add eggs to the grocery listing.” Then I get that reminder subsequent time my palms are clear and manually add eggs to AnyList. That is the stupidest workaround ever, however at the least it really works.

Regardless of the way you slice it, it’s patently ridiculous that Google supplied one thing so easy and helpful after which took it away. I perceive that sustaining the API for this operate most likely took too many assets for it to be value it, particularly when it helps third-party apps like AnyList greater than Google itself. However at a sure level, making issues worse on your customers has received to be a nasty concept, proper?

My solely remaining hope is that the inevitable arrival of Gemini on Google sensible audio system and shows will remedy this drawback. If Google have been to open up Gemini extensions to any third-party app that desires entry, AnyList might recreate the identical performance it had in Assistant however inside Gemini. Conversely, Google might give Gemini the flexibility to make use of its generative AI powers to do a greater job at creating and sustaining Hold lists. Both approach, I and everybody else who’s upset about Notes & Lists going away can be blissful once more.

Who is aware of when that might occur, although. Till then, I’ll simply be bitterly leaping by means of hoops to do one thing I did for years with out a drawback earlier than Google determined to make my life much less handy.