The topic of Google Home isn’t killing automations, but phone-related actions are going away is currently the subject of lively debate — readers and analysts are keeping a close eye on developments.
This is taking place in a dynamic environment: companies’ decisions and competitors’ reactions can quickly change the picture.
An errant message heard by some Google Home users seemed to imply that automations were going away – which would have been crazy. Thankfully, that’s not the case, but Google Home is doing away with its phone-related actions soon.
Some users have noticed over the past couple of days that their speakers and smart displays have said:
…just so you know, phone actions and automations will no longer be available starting in the first week of May.
Obviously, that’s very concerning. Automations are a huge part of Google Home, and one that has been improved quite a lot in recent months. As such, it’d be absolutely wild for Google to pull the rug out all of the sudden, but that’s not the case.
Google confirmed in a reply to one affected user that Home automations are not going away, but certain actions are. During the first week of May – coming up quickly – Google Home will stop supporting phone-related automations. These include setting Do Not Disturb mode, reading out battery percentage, changing the volume, and more.
We wanted to clarify that we are not removing automations in May. We are removing phone-related actions in automations (i.e., check the battery level, set/unset Do Not Disturb, and set the volume of your phone). Home automations will continue to work, and any Home-related actions will remain part of your automations and fully functional.
It’s likely that the message was only read to users who were using one of these functions but, in any case, automations as a whole are not going away. We’d also wager a guess that phone-related automations in Home weren’t used all that often anyway – they can only be used if you start the automation on your phone, and don’t apply if you’re using something like a Nest Hub.
Why it matters
News like this often changes audience expectations and competitors’ plans.
When one player makes a move, others usually react — it is worth reading the event in context.
What to look out for next
The full picture will become clear in time, but the headline already shows the dynamics of the industry.
Further statements and user reactions will add to the story.