Hi, maybe I’m old school but i did not appreciate Google replacing their old “Google assistant” on Android with the new Gemini. I do not want to participate in Gemini.

How can i replace it with a more traditional voice assistant?

I don’t use it for very much: the only workflows it would really have to support are:

  • Play music (currently Spotify), e.g., “Play the Beatles on Spotify”
  • Set timers and alarms on the clock app, e.g. “Set a timer for one hour with the label: laundry”.

I think tasker can do this? But i couldn’t find a good guide online.

Anyone know a good way of going about setting this up without it becoming a new hobby?

  • mortalic@lemmy.world
    13·
    3 days ago

    This is a real problem. Even if you’re using actual Google devices now. I used to be able to use android auto as an app on my phone which was perfect when riding my motorcycle. Tap the button on my helmet mic and tell it to navigate somewhere different, or text someone o play a playlist.

    Now it’s broken across all that. No android auto on my phone. Assistant is nerfed… I gave up.

    • 𝕱𝖎𝖗𝖊𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖈𝖍@lemmy.world
      13·
      3 days ago

      It’s so fuckin bad now. I was an early adopter of them, they were so much better back in the day. Nowadays if I ask to turn on the lights it starts playing Lights by Ellie Goulding. If I ask to set an alarm and it makes the lights in my bedroom red.

      I have mine set to bilingual (English/French) and can confidently say the French support is even worse. If it detects French it hilariously responds in English with a bad French accent. “Tha storhr iz trant sank kilometres by car, it vill take saw sant diz minoots to arreev”

  • 404@lemmy.zipEnglish
    8·
    3 days ago

    From another post:

    Google Assistant: Dicio is already on F-Droid but it won’t get what you are saying. Possible actions are limited. There’s also Athena that’s in development, though it is not ready for any kind of use.

    • sem@piefed.blahaj.zoneOPEnglish
      3·
      22 hours ago

      Thanks, Dicio looks like what I’m after

      Edit: Dicio can’t do “play the beatles on spotify” etc. It understands the words but can’t do the action

  • schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works
    102·
    3 days ago

    Did old Google Assistant do those tasks?

    My experience with digital assistants has been entirely negative, and designers don’t seem to understand that the only fucking time I want to deal with a voice DA is when I’m driving my car and don’t want to look at/touch the phone!

  • NarrativeBear@lemmy.world
    6·
    3 days ago

    I am in the same boat as you, Google broke Assistant very slowly over the last year or more. I mainly used it for navigation when in the car, or on a bike, and when at home to control various “smart switchs” and other IoT devices.

    Its been a pain TBH, but its kind of helped with my slow de-googleing of products and services I use. Though like you said this could essentially become a hobby as there is no one fit-all alternatives.

    I have yet thought to find a way to replace voice Navigation in any of my alternative Map apps, but most of everything else has been replaced slowly.

    Where I would suggest starting is looking at this video as a example of what’s possible with Local Assistants and models.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxjuEHTKXMw

    (You don’t need the fancy “robot” shown in the video but you do need mic’s and speakers for voice controls around a house. You can also use your phone though)

    If you do “smart home stuff” look into HomeAssistant and the various integrations for voice controls. Home Assistant also has something called Music Assistant where you can integrate your Spotify and local music library, then with voice commands you can request certain tracks be played.

    HomeAssistant basically becomes your “unified environment of services” where everything becomes “integrated together”. Things like smart switches, your calanders, notes, weather forecasts, music, presence detection, so now you can ask your voice assistant questions and get responses like the weather is sunny, or the kid is home.