Google removes 17 features from Google Assistant

Several “underutilized” Google Assistant features will soon be joining the infamous — such as the ability to use your voice to send an email, video, or audio messages — as the search giant introduces changes it says will make the feature easier to use. The company is also changing how the microphone works in the Google app and Pixel Search bar.

Starting January 26th, users who activate any of the will be notified that it’s being discontinued, with most features departing for good on February 26th, according to . This news comes less than a day after Google announced it was , some of whom worked on Google Assistant. The Assistant features being removed will impact mobile, smartwatch, and smart speaker/display devices, though Google does offer workarounds to replicate some lost functionality.

However, some features such as the Calm meditation service integration, are being removed entirely. The alternatives users are directed to are also not directly equivalent to many of the deleted features. Here’s the full list of , as published by Google: Some changes are also being made to the Google app, which will now trigger Search responses when the microphone icon is tapped.

Users will no longer be able to use the Search bar microphone to complete actions like turning on lights, for example. Pixel devices will also be affected by this, as the microphone in the Pixel Search bar will now launch Voice Search instead of Assistant. Streamlining what the Google Assistant platform can do may make it easier to use (or at least, less convoluted) in the long run, but the loss of functionality is sure to be disruptive for the people that use those features.

You can find out more information about the changes on the . /.