Hey Google, Shut Up: Assistant Drops Verbal Confirmation on Some Devices

Google this week muzzled its voice assistant, replacing spoken confirmations with less intrusive notifications. The company, which in 2019 introduced a simple sound effect to acknowledge users’ “light on/off” commands, is now expanding the chime feature to more smart home devices.

“For those who’ve asked for fewer verbal responses, this one’s for you,” the Google Nest team wrote in a Thursday announcement(Opens in a new window).

Whether you’re turning on the fan, turning off the TV, turning up the speakers, or turning down the blinds, Assistant no longer verbally responds by saying, “OK, turning fan on.” Instead, it will play “a pleasant chime” as confirmation.

The functionality, already available for lights in the same room, is rolling out to additional devices like outlets, switches, televisions, speakers, fans, blinds, “and more” in the “next few weeks,” according to Google.

A discussion on the Google Nest Community’s Home Automation forum(Opens in a new window) has so far remained positive, with most people welcoming the change, which they believe will make Assistant “a lot friendlier to use.” Others requested even further integration into doorbells and audio apps.

Not everyone is impressed, though. “The chime is nice. But we don’t really need a chime. We just need it to do what we ask,” forum member Altoncg86 wrote in a post. “The in-house assistant experience should be as efficient and quiet as possible.”

They’ve got a point: You’ll know if the TV turns on, the light turns off, or the fan starts spinning; most people don’t need any sort of response, verbal or otherwise. It’s unclear whether Google will allow folks to opt out of the chime, or if that’s just the price you have to pay to talk to your house.

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