Google to Remove Assistant Voice Apps and Games from Nest Hub in June

Google has announced that it will no longer support third-party Smart Displays, and the Nest Hub is set to lose Assistant voice apps and games in June. Users are now seeing a warning ahead of this.

The feature, called “Conversational Actions,” was first introduced in 2016 as a way for third parties to develop for Google Assistant. Later, Google added support for touch input with Interactive Canvas, which led to several games.

However, these Nest Hub games, as well as stories and educational experiences, are set to go away in June of 2023. They were often launched with the command “Hey Google, talk to [X]” or via the “Games” tab on Smart Displays.

According to reports, Google is removing support for Conversation Actions as it focuses its Assistant on Android. “App Actions” are meant to let developers add voice control to existing Android applications instead of creating an entirely independent experience that was device-independent. It works on Android phones, tablets, Wear OS watches, Google/Android TV, and even cars (Auto/Automotive).

Last June, Google stated that it will “continue investing in all of the popular Assistant experiences users love, like Timers, Media, Home Automation, Communications, and more.” The company also said it remains focused on building family experiences. This move was made before the ongoing generative AI boom that the Assistant team has been tasked with developing.

Google has not provided any further details about why it is making this move or what the future holds for Assistant on Smart Displays. However, it is clear that users of Nest Hub will no longer be able to access voice apps and games after June.