Back when the Google Pixel 4 launched, Google also debuted a new Google Assistant interface featuring a more compact, semi-transparent UI with a multi-coloured bar indicating the Assistant was listening. However, a bug appears to have reverted that new UI for many Pixel users.
Spotted by 9to5Google, the bug appears to change the Assistant UI on some Pixel 4, 4a, 4a 5G and 5 devices. When you activate Assistant, either by swiping up from the corner of the screen or through the ‘Hey Google’ prompt, you’ll see an older Assistant UI.
The older UI features an opaque card with rounded corners, and has the Assistant icon in the top left corner with a speech bubble and text that reads: “Hi, how can I help?” Below that, there are little bubble-shaped shortcut buttons with suggested actions. Finally, the UI shows a bubble with four colour lines indicating Assistant is listening. The lines are flanked by a Lens icon and keyboard button, with access to the ‘Snapshot’ screen and the ‘Explore’ page.
Left: Pixel with old Assistant interface (via 9to5Google). Right: Pixel with new Assistant interface.
9to5 reports that along with the old UI, voice recognition appears significantly slower than the on-device recognition included with the new Google Assistant. Further, the ‘Continued Conversation‘ feature, which lets you ask follow-up questions without saying ‘Hey Google,’ also vanished with the bug. It appears you can still control the setting on Google Home/Nest devices, but phones aren’t on the list.
It’s not clear what caused the issue, but it’s very likely a bug. 9to5 reports that most of the Pixel devices it tested had the bug. However, it may not impact users outside the U.S. — several Pixel phones tested at MobileSyrup still have the new Assistant. If your Assistant interface reverted to an older version, let us know down below.
Image credit: 9to5Google
Source: 9to5Google
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