Following Pixel Buds in September, Google Assistant headphones from other manufacturers will “no longer automatically read unread notifications.”
Previously, you’d hear notifications upon activating Google Assistant. This is no longer the case, with a manual “Read my notifications” command now required.
Additionally: “Assistant will also no longer read unread notifications automatically and allow you to reply.”
Google does not provide a real reason for this removal in announcing this change yesterday (via Android Authority):
Thank you for your continued feedback that enables us to improve your experience with using Google Assistant!
This breaks the silent use case for owners of Google Assistant headphones, while it’s not apparent when new notifications come in.
Google has yet to expand Gemini beyond the Pixel Buds Pro. Notably, spoken notifications are only available for messaging apps with the new smart assistant. The promise of Gemini is that it will one day summarize alerts for a more streamlined experience. Google alluded to that at launch, but we’re still waiting.
More on Google Assistant:
Google Assistant adds Amazon Music support for Home speakers, Nest displays
Google Assistant car mics might be shutting down soon
Here are the new Google Assistant Gemini voices on Nest Mini [Video]
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