Gemini gains ability to trigger Google Assistant Routines

Google has been working hard to make Gemini comparable to Google Assitant, and so far, that’s meant creating a variety of backdoors so Gemini can interface with Google Assitant.

It’s a bit janky, but it has worked as expected in my testing over the past few days. I can finally ask Google Gemini to control my lights and set timers, but weirdly, I can only do these things with my voice, not the text-to-Gemini interface.

One thing that was missing until yesterday is support for Google Routines. If you don’t use Routines, they launched in 2018 as a way to use a single phrase like “Hey Google, start my day” to get the assistant to tell you the weather, some news, any other important updates, and more, all in sequential order.

Now, you can ask Gemini to start one of your Routines, and it will route through Google Assistant to trigger it. However, like other controls that hopped from Gemini to Google Assistant, there are more limitations than you’d expect.

When I trigger this Routine, it doesn’t play any jazz or give me calendar updates, but it does seem to give me the CBC News podcast based on my last request.

The Gemini version of Routines can’t be triggered to start by sunrise/sunset, typed commands, locations or by using home screen shortcuts. You can only ask Google to start one with your voice as well, which means you can’t use Gemini’s text-based interface.

The actual Routines themselves are also quite limited and you won’t be able to use them to start music/podcasts, get fitness/sleep data or recite poems and quotes.

While this feature is pretty half-baked compared to how it worked when Google Assitant was the main digital assistant on Android, for some, this should be enough to help them finally migrate from Assitant to Gemini. It’s enough for me, but I still can’t shake the feeling that Google is fumbling the Gemin rollout a little bit by fracturing out all these features.

I mean, it’s pretty classic for Google to release two competing products, but it’s never fun, and as a consumer, it’s always confusing. With the Gemini vs Assitant battle being the most confusing yet since Google is hyping up Gemini so much, yet most of the things I actually use it for are still bound to Assitant.

Up until very recently, I still thought Gemini could not do smart home control and timers since it launched without those features. Scrolling through Reddit, I see many similar feelings toward Gemini, making me wish Google had just waited for it to be ready before starting to push it so hard. This likely would have left a better perception of the product in the public’s eye instead of most people either not knowing what it is or how to use it in their lives.

I still think you have to be tapped into the tech world to even know about Gemini, so Google launching both Gemini Live and updating Routines in the same week is a good example of the company fracturing the narrative around what is supposed to be their new flagship product. Sure, nerds like me who follow Google closely will be able to see all this news, but most people don’t read tech websites daily, meaning a lot of the magic that’s being added to Gemini is likely going over most people’s heads.

Source: 9to5Google