[CORRECTION] The Pixel Tablet will receive guaranteed Android platform updates until June 2026, and security updates through June 2028. The reason for the error: technical documentation provided with my review device stated platform support would only continue through "June 2023." MrMobile regrets the error.
Thank you so much, once more, for this very useful video! It really made a difference on my decision (or future one) to buy this Pixel tablet (or hold, for now). 😁👌
Have all the same type of problems with all the google speakers and hubs i have in my home and the same with lights. google assistant have from time to time become just as crappy as bixby or siri
This makes me feel "better" that its not just me. I had a light that it is constantly forgetting. Other rooms answering me and the room I am in NOT Answering.
Same problems with my lights, speaker groups and different speakers in other rooms trying to answer my questions. It's hit or miss and very frustrating.
You are spot on with Google Assistant, been saying this for a while that it has gone downhill. "Play spotify... Hmm, something has gone wrong..." "Set timer... There's a glitch..." Not good yet it used to be sooo good that I wouldn't use anything else. Plus, like you said, my nest hub is playing up with freezing on the alarm clock or not even lighting up when I walk into the room like it used to, resulting in me switching off and on but even that fails sometimes... Sorry Google i won't be buying.
You're not alone! I'm actually surprised so many people in the comments have said that the Google Assistant (GA) has been getting worse, I faced so many issues in the past half a year and I thought it was just my own problem. Just some common issues I've had: 1. Asking GA to play a trailer never works. If I say "hey Google, play the new Phantom Liberty trailer on RUclips", it just goes "playing trailer videos" and gives me random trailers. This is part of a bigger issue that no matter how many times you reiterate a certain word, it will autocorrect it to what it thinks you're saying and just do something you didn't ask it to do. 2. Some words it just refuses to listen to. When I say the letter "E" like in "E3", it refuses to listen and thinks I'm being silent the whole time. There are several words it doesn't listen to, but the E thing has been the most recent. 3. Multiple times at random, GA will just be clueless about what I'm asking. If I ask "what's 15x34" or "when was the lightbulb first invented" it just defaults to same answer where it says it doesn't understand. Internet connection and all working perfectly and yet GA seems like it's cut off from it's servers and the internet. These are just my examples, and of course there's the rest of the comment section that shows how awfully GA has deteriorated. It's not even long complex queries, just simple order to open apps, play media, and search for stuff. It's just a shame, it was so good back then. What the hell happened?
My problem with it is simply the Hey Google phrase, I may be talking out loud differents words no where near the phrase and it picks it up. I only used a Google nest mini (well the previous one that wasn’t named that), to try it out and the issue I mentioned just made me take it off since it’s main function was just call to answer questions or turn on/off outlets. This with the whole Amazon shutting off a customers smart home has made me steer off “smart home”.
Unfortunately it seems like Virtually every American review forgets that outside America the price is over 100 more so the dock is not free for all of us. It's a ridiculous price £599, most should wait for sales.
I built my smart home around Google Assistant and it has absolutely got worse. One of the reasons I invested in it was the potential it had for the future, but I have been seriously considering going back to a 'dumb home' setup. It's so frustrating.
Yup. I'm still into smart home big time, but I focus on integrating with Home Assistant and building a nice customized UI instead of using voice commands. I find that with the right automations and convenient remote controls and apps, everything is so much more convenient than shouting at an incapable Google "Assistant"
@@PSYCHOV3N0M So you can have your smarthome cancelled because a delivery driver falsely accuses your doorbell of racism? No thanks. Self-hosted is the only way to go, but that depends on how good HomeAssistant's new voice assistant will be.
I 100% agree. I stopped using my google homes because it felt like the service just got incrementally worse each and every year. I switched to apple homepods, which I didn't end up with because they got better than the google homes, but because the homes are now just worse.
I’m really glad you called out the connectivity issues. I’m one of the biggest Google fans out there and I believe their focus on affordable home smart devices is a great place to be. But….it definitely feels like things are slipping. As always….great video!
Michael, I'm convinced that no one does it better than you. Combining visually stunning videos and quality information that I need is a consumer deciding if a product is worth my money and time. Cannot thank you enough for this comprehensive review of the pixel tablet. Keep up the great work!
It forgot my lights randomly for a few days. "Turn off bedroom lights" suddenly didn't work, though saying "turn off the lights" directly to the associated speaker in the room did. I found that going out of your way to try and fix an Assistant issue is futile and may only just make things worse. Best to just leave it alone, switch to manual control, and keep trying every day until it fixes itself.
Great video Michael. It certainly feels like the Google Assistant is on vacation and we have been left with an intern. Now that they have stripped all its features, maybe it will get back to working soon.
I love how he does the premieres no other RUclipsrs that I know does this type of format and its so cool that it really takes a spin on a traditional upload format on this platform. love your content and please pat yourself on the back 👏👏👏💜
Good review and indicative of why I’m weaning myself off of dependency on the Google and Pixel ecosystem. Their pattern of half-assing and eventually abandoning big swing ideas doesn’t make me comfortable investing in them any more.
I think it's definitely frustrating when you compare it to something that goes more "smoothly" like Apple. You understand what they're going for but the bumps/glitches that prevent it from being 100% get tiring.
Thanks for mentioning the issues with Assistant. I couldn't put a finger on why I enjoy my nest hubs less these days. All my lights are "made for Google" they are so inconsistent and slow to respond.
I totally get the frustration with google assistant, thats me with amazons alexa. Luckily since I've been using googles assistant I haven't had issues so I may try this tablet, last google tablet I had was the nexus 7, loved that thing!
I remember reading an article where someone at google mentioned the assistants' hardcoded respones were starting to show their limitations. Maybe they'll replace its back end with Bard.
My god Michael. I've just realized I've been following you for 7 years now. You have never disappointed me. I'm curious about your Google ecosystem video. I have always struggled to accommodate Amazon into my place, but I'm curious what's a good balance of ecosystems. Mind you, I'm not an apple user, so my smart home systems will either be Google or Alexa based. Now I've been thinking about being a bit more agnostic, adding a few flavours, such as the smartthings hub, Akara stuff, etc. I know it's not your core focus, but I'm curious about your thoughts.
Agreed! No doubt there are issues in Mountain View with the Assistant team. If you've been using this stuff for years it's like a neglected project that never got finished. You get the tablet at least early on, you're using the same Assistant with issues it has now. The concern is they don't seem concerned..
I'm happy to know that (3:09) there's pen support, but (3:33) the lack of mobile data connectivity and low maximum brightness (especially for someone like me who prefers dark themes) decreases my chances of buying one. I'm still happy to see a new tablet running Android without an annoying device manufacturer skin, though. (2:41) That reminds me of the external 'keyboard' I currently use with my Galaxy Tab S4. Someone had a no-name keyboard case, and when that case fell apart, they decided to sell the keyboard/trackpad module and I bought it. (3:01) I feel seen, except that I write my video scripts in Evernote. However, with Evernote's multi-window support being exclusive to their desktop app, I find myself usually bringing my laptop with its full Windows 10 experience (because it's an older model from 2015) instead, and eventually, once I finish moving my data from my laptop (which was my main PC for a few years) to my workstation is complete, I'd instead be remotely accessing the latter which has lots of RAM that would theoretically allow me to keep many Evernote note windows open for various projects I work on and jump between any time, besides the Edge app mode windows I have open for Milanote. (3:50) That background you have there piqued my interest as someone who tends to be drawn towards book illustrations and comic art, but I assume that was from the Google Wallpapers app. (I think it reminded me of comic art created by Alec Longstreth) I understand what you mean with the Assistant issues. I didn't end up using the voice features just because the only TTS voice options it had for my chosen dialects were either one male-sounding or one female-sounding voice, but no matter what I tried, those were the only two options available to me and I didn't feel comfortable with either. I wished I could try forcing it to use a specific voice and/or shift the pitch and speed. I also couldn't have a custom wake word to allow me to use a phrase I'm comfortable with. (8:42) That was somewhat possible on the Galaxy Tab S4 with the One UI 'Daily Board' feature and the optional Samsung 'Charging Dock Pogo' accessory. Samsung technically did it first, but with an optional accessory, while Google did it with an included accessory and improved it with some of their own existing software and services.
I don’t have a Google Home, I use HomeKit and my Mini HomePod and have felt the same. When I set it up it was really nice and would listen quite well. Now it too fights with my Watch/Phone for Siri requests. It also picks up my requests from rooms away but fails to from right next to it… It’s been frustrating.
You have echoed every last one of my complaints about Google Assistant in the last year. As I have transitioned my home away from Google-controlled to Home Assistant-controlled, this has gotten a little better (it doesn't fuck up my light controls anymore)...but my next big transition will be setting up HA to use the Google Assistant SDK to take over the "Assistant" role on my speakers. Then, finally, I will be using Google speakers for the only thing they are good for...their hardware. 🤦🏻♂️ Can't believe I'm saying that in 2023.
It vaguely reminds me of the clock I have in my living room that was once a Motorola Droid Star Wars edition phone on a Star Wars dock. When you set it on the dock it automatically changes into a clock. Now of course it's an ex phone that has been on the dock so long that I have to remind myself it was once something else primarily. Dual use isn't a new idea, but maybe in time it will all be one device?
I understand this trick can't work for a lot of people, but I noticed that my google home devices got substantially more useful after I turned off diagnostic data and history. For some reason when I kept it on for long enough, assistant would start doing things it thought I would like rather than what I actually told it to do. An example would be when I was in my car and I told google to play a certain album on RUclips music, it eventually started playing user made playlists rather than the album I specified. The second I turned off all history and diagnostic data, though, it immediately reverted to the google assistant I used to know and love. I haven't had any problems with it misunderstanding commands or technical problems since. I am unsure as to why this would be the case because one would think that the diagnostic data would be helpful for more relevant answers, but it seems to care more about improving its own algorithm rather than actually being a useful assistant when the data is provided.
With the smart home debacle, i feel you, it felt like my Alexa devices were getting deaf, i switched to HomePods, and im very happy, i HOPE siri keeps being reliable on the homepod so i dont have to switch platforms yet again, the limitations of siri is a bummer, but at least she listens to me whenever i ask her something.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who has had issues with the Google Assistant. I used to use one Google home and a Google mini at my desk in the same room. It would constantly fight to respond Even though I was talking to one and not the other. After a while the responses would just break and not work. The only work around that I had was to only use one Google speaker per room.
I’m so happy you talked about how bad the google speakers/google home app is! I used to have speaker pairs in every room. It was wonderful until it wasn’t. The speaker pairs began separating. The speakers would remove themselves from the home. Sometimes they would stay paired and I would say “hey google stop the kitchen” it would replay “do you want to stop kitchen or kitchen speaker. I’ve gone through 4 routers trying to fix it. It forgets smart devices regularly. Disconnects from wifi all the time, especially my nest hub. Every two days I had to unplug it so that it would reconnect. The other day it wouldn’t stop playing music. “Stop” “stop playing music” “pause” ::tap the top several times:: nothing. Had to unplug. It’s so bad that I actually bought an iPhone and said “ hey google I switched to apple because your devices are awful” it replied “I don’t understand” lol. I have regrets for buying 30 smart devices that operate through the smartlife app. I have to repurchase everything. I already have HomePod minis in the house now but I have 3 single, not pairs, assistant speakers to operate my house. I’ll be spending $1,000 on Amazon as soon as I pay off what I already owe on my card to replace everything. Mostly bulbs, switches, plug dimmers/switches. I was a diehard google fan before this. I started losing faith in android when they made the pull down menu buttons twice as big and requiring a second pull down to see more toggles. I’m very happy with my iPhone. I bought a used pixel 6 and returned it the very next day because I’m an apple person. “Hey google, you lost a customer”
I love this thing. I just wish the dock worked without the tablet so you could play music through it or take phone calls etc.. Also, you got the chair! it looks fantastic.
Michael, speakers competition for listening yes but groups? My groups have been flawless for years... I have created an "All speakers" named group since the beginning. Asking to play on all speakers reliably works. I mean I can't remember the last time it didn't work 😊
Im so glad you actually use Google Home day to day, so you know of these annoying issues. Ive been on it for years in my apartments and it just feels like a beta product. Multiple assistants responding to the same request at the same time. The wrong assistant responding (one that's further away or even in a different room). This is especially annoying when you ask it to play music because now it can barely hear when you ask it to stop. It's also annoying when combined with another problem; alarms and timers aren't synchronized across devices. So if you happen to be in a different spot in your home when you ask it the status of your alarm/timer, it just tells you that you dont have any alarms/timers, forcing you to remember where you were when you first set the alarm/timer, and forcing you to go there to check on it. Also, if the wrong speaker picks up the request (which you dont even know until it's already received it), it leads to a lot of unnecessary confusion. Also, there's no limited permissions! Meaning if you give someone access to your smarthome, they have full control over everything! Why would I want to give full access to my roommates, children, etc? There was rumors of the feature being added 2 YEARS AGO. Still NOTHING. If this was a serious product it would 100% be there from day one. Its a shame too because I love the Google Assistant, but Google Home is more in a "toy to tinker with" phase in my eyes.
I'm glad I'm not the only one noticing googles issues. I've got a pixel phone, watch, speaker, cast, buds, and lights and google has been having so many issues lately figuring out what I'm asking.
omg we thought it was just our home! so glad to know we weren’t crazy. lol as each Google home mini and smart light stopped working we just slowly receded into a dumb home.
I've had similar issues with Google speakers. Also, when I ask it to switch off a plug/light, it ONLY works on the second attempt. Exact same request. They lose WiFi network frequently. They sometimes cannot hear me from the room I'm in, but the next room does. So I 100% agree, I have same issues. I'm in the UK. I have one of each of their devices too, Mini, Nest Mini, Home, and the original speaker.
So glad you've raised this point regarding nest and the assistant. How can Google expect to buy in to any of their future products when, after kitting my whole house out with nest and nest compatible speakers, the assistant has become totally broken. Pretty much every time I play some music on one speaker, another will say something went wrong. Speaker groups just don't work, random 'i don't understand' messages when I haven't even asked it anything. This needs to be talked about more but really grateful you've brought the issue attention to such a big following
Great video Michael! It's been interesting to me how voice assistants have reduced in relevancy while simultaneously being more wide spread then they ever were. Brings to mind some thoughts that have been brewing in my mind recently... I don't care for Google Assistant integration on my phone; so much so I never even set it up on my S23. While 4 years ago it mattered a lot to me to have on a phone, it never proved itself useful in daily use on a phone. It also, like you point out, was just laggy and annoying every time. On the other hand, I have an Alexa in bedroom that I use everyday as a wireless speaker & weather device-it's mighty useful for JUST those two things.
Some of the assistant enabled alarm clocks wouldn’t play custom playlists even from RUclips music, the speaker group and playlist thing made me switch to Spotify and Alexa for my smart home stuff and I haven’t looked back, it just works better
Great video man! I live abroad and use some Google products in Spanish and I also felt that over time they have gotten worse but here I was thibking it was only me since no other reviewer ever mentions it. I think I will get this product..... when it comes down in price.
Maybe I’m the first to notice. But didn’t the blackberry playbook have a docking. So I used it as a smart screen for movies or alarm clock and had call option. Only not really a smart home solution but close to it.
I had assumed it had something to do with the internet connection as well. My mother lives in a small trailer and her Google assistants have the same non responsive issue and triggering a speaker in another room.
Michael! Love your reviews and I tested my "all devices" using Spotify and it worked flawlessly. I really haven't had issues with my smart devices malfunctioning but one really weird issue is that my Google Hub or Mini will randomly ask a question I didn't ask. Literally complete silence and then it starts talking. Technology ghosts? The Matrix having bugs?
Mr. Fisher. Thank you for the review. I appreciate your comments regarding the constant issues with assistant. I noticed recently that if you have more than one band type within your home (2.4Ghz to 5Ghz), that can be where the problems evolve from. I have a router that supports both frequencies and the older google devices pander to the 2.4Ghz for obvious reasons. My experience has been that when you resolve that problem, the assistant does work fairly well with connectivity. I'm looking forward to your "Google Experience" video as I'm more interested in this device from a pixel experience than as a dock. I've always favored android and have jumped onto the pixel train with phones, but have still kept an iPad. Samsung's cost to experience doesn't weigh out in my opinion. I'm hopeful that the pixel tablet can bring a similar or better experience to what we saw from the Nexus 7 FHD model way back when.
I am hoping when you make the pixel ecosystem video you also compare it to samsung and apples ecosystem and how it stacks up features wise and if not it could be a good idea for its own video going over pros and cons to each ecosystem and whats like to switch from one and another since some people think about switch but want to know the downsides to doing so and what to look out for
I had google home stuff tied into my house years ago and it did the exact same thing. It worked great for about a year and then everything just broke, no matter what I did couldn’t fix it. I reset everything and set it up like it was my first time and it still just was broken. I have since moved onto iOS and with it Apple Home and it has been virtually flawless for 3 years now. I figure it has to do with the Apple solution running locally for the most part. Google’s implementation is cloud based requiring everything to talk to the servers and constantly be updating their status. Since Apple Home uses a hub (Apple TV, HomePod, or iPad) it is instant with commands and I have rarely if ever have any issues with things working most likely due to the fact I have a NAS running Homebridge and the Hub mentality over the cloud approach.
And just like a Google nest, you cannot move it anywhere unless you actually want to deal with moving furniture because unsightly cables exist and the thing you put it on is probably in front of the outlet blocking it from view.
![MrMobile [Michael Fisher]](http://yt3.ggpht.com/Bf8B_79jyHxP6CVnjV5WKws93l9Vxlk0d7aPmcBygTBDKzgsGrpazdJRFUrfg1sUNlo8YX8rji8=s48-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj)
![Oasis - Oasis Live '25 [Official Trailer]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/gol_JnuEtKM/mqdefault.jpg)
[CORRECTION] The Pixel Tablet will receive guaranteed Android platform updates until June 2026, and security updates through June 2028. The reason for the error: technical documentation provided with my review device stated platform support would only continue through "June 2023." MrMobile regrets the error.
Thank you so much, once more, for this very useful video! It really made a difference on my decision (or future one) to buy this Pixel tablet (or hold, for now). 😁👌
Thank God. I thought Google already gave up on this project 😂
That's 3 years that not good at all especially if it has the g2 chip and the phones will get more updates
Have all the same type of problems with all the google speakers and hubs i have in my home and the same with lights.
google assistant have from time to time become just as crappy as bixby or siri
Portland, JAMAICA in the Building!!! 👑🇯🇲🔥💥🌟⭐💯💎
"I just wish I could trust Google to stick with it."
I felt that in my bones.
Yeah I'm not even comfortable investing time into switching to a new Google product let alone $500
Sadly, Google never sticks with anything. That's why this tablet is a pass for me.
I feel that in my domain name.
Exactly think of how far Google glass would be by now if they had stuck with it, but watch Apple vision get better and better in the years
@@russianspy1234Exactly. Get an iPad
I thought the Assistant and Speaker Group issue was just me! It absolutely has deteriorated beyond usability....
5:35 speaker groups broke due to Sonos' lawsuit. They basically forced Google to brick the feature, never been the same since.
This makes me feel "better" that its not just me. I had a light that it is constantly forgetting. Other rooms answering me and the room I am in NOT Answering.
Same problems with my lights, speaker groups and different speakers in other rooms trying to answer my questions. It's hit or miss and very frustrating.
I too thought that issues was just myself.
I ASSURE YOU that you are not alone in the "is it just me or.." camp.
You are spot on with Google Assistant, been saying this for a while that it has gone downhill. "Play spotify... Hmm, something has gone wrong..." "Set timer... There's a glitch..." Not good yet it used to be sooo good that I wouldn't use anything else. Plus, like you said, my nest hub is playing up with freezing on the alarm clock or not even lighting up when I walk into the room like it used to, resulting in me switching off and on but even that fails sometimes... Sorry Google i won't be buying.
You're not alone! I'm actually surprised so many people in the comments have said that the Google Assistant (GA) has been getting worse, I faced so many issues in the past half a year and I thought it was just my own problem. Just some common issues I've had:
1. Asking GA to play a trailer never works. If I say "hey Google, play the new Phantom Liberty trailer on RUclips", it just goes "playing trailer videos" and gives me random trailers. This is part of a bigger issue that no matter how many times you reiterate a certain word, it will autocorrect it to what it thinks you're saying and just do something you didn't ask it to do.
2. Some words it just refuses to listen to. When I say the letter "E" like in "E3", it refuses to listen and thinks I'm being silent the whole time. There are several words it doesn't listen to, but the E thing has been the most recent.
3. Multiple times at random, GA will just be clueless about what I'm asking. If I ask "what's 15x34" or "when was the lightbulb first invented" it just defaults to same answer where it says it doesn't understand. Internet connection and all working perfectly and yet GA seems like it's cut off from it's servers and the internet.
These are just my examples, and of course there's the rest of the comment section that shows how awfully GA has deteriorated. It's not even long complex queries, just simple order to open apps, play media, and search for stuff.
It's just a shame, it was so good back then. What the hell happened?
My problem with it is simply the Hey Google phrase, I may be talking out loud differents words no where near the phrase and it picks it up. I only used a Google nest mini (well the previous one that wasn’t named that), to try it out and the issue I mentioned just made me take it off since it’s main function was just call to answer questions or turn on/off outlets. This with the whole Amazon shutting off a customers smart home has made me steer off “smart home”.
Yes up till 3 years ago Google understood me 90% of the time but now it more like 50% of the time.
Unfortunately it seems like Virtually every American review forgets that outside America the price is over 100 more so the dock is not free for all of us. It's a ridiculous price £599, most should wait for sales.
@@hometechUK That's insane.
I built my smart home around Google Assistant and it has absolutely got worse. One of the reasons I invested in it was the potential it had for the future, but I have been seriously considering going back to a 'dumb home' setup. It's so frustrating.
What about switching to Alexa?
Yup. I'm still into smart home big time, but I focus on integrating with Home Assistant and building a nice customized UI instead of using voice commands. I find that with the right automations and convenient remote controls and apps, everything is so much more convenient than shouting at an incapable Google "Assistant"
@@PSYCHOV3N0M So you can have your smarthome cancelled because a delivery driver falsely accuses your doorbell of racism? No thanks. Self-hosted is the only way to go, but that depends on how good HomeAssistant's new voice assistant will be.
I 100% agree. I stopped using my google homes because it felt like the service just got incrementally worse each and every year. I switched to apple homepods, which I didn't end up with because they got better than the google homes, but because the homes are now just worse.
@@antikommunistischaktion Lol, I love having these stories because every time someone regurgitates them I can know that they're not worth listening to
I’m really glad you called out the connectivity issues. I’m one of the biggest Google fans out there and I believe their focus on affordable home smart devices is a great place to be. But….it definitely feels like things are slipping. As always….great video!
Michael, I'm convinced that no one does it better than you. Combining visually stunning videos and quality information that I need is a consumer deciding if a product is worth my money and time. Cannot thank you enough for this comprehensive review of the pixel tablet. Keep up the great work!
This was worth watching for the dock in the box joke 🤣
He also says "three-step solution",
and there are indeed three tracks in that series (mothelover and threeway being the other two)
I love Lonely Island and absolutely did not expect to see In a Box featured in a Pixel tablet review but I enjoyed every second of it.
I felt like I was going crazy about the assistant feeling way worse recently. A lot of the issues you brought up I have been having as well!
It forgot my lights randomly for a few days. "Turn off bedroom lights" suddenly didn't work, though saying "turn off the lights" directly to the associated speaker in the room did.
I found that going out of your way to try and fix an Assistant issue is futile and may only just make things worse. Best to just leave it alone, switch to manual control, and keep trying every day until it fixes itself.
I feel his complaints about Google's speakers. I learned I just can't trust them for alarms anymore. They become so inconsistent
I like the look of this, but in the UK it's £599, way too expensive sadly.
D### in a box reference was my favorite reference you have ever made
4:51 THANK YOU for talking about this. It's driving me absolutely nuts lately. I swear I hear "Sorry, something went wrong" in my nightmares now.
Great video Michael. It certainly feels like the Google Assistant is on vacation and we have been left with an intern. Now that they have stripped all its features, maybe it will get back to working soon.
Great review! Better and more informative than MKBHD and Dave2D about this device and the Google Assistant not working as well anymore.
I love how he does the premieres no other RUclipsrs that I know does this type of format and its so cool that it really takes a spin on a traditional upload format on this platform. love your content and please pat yourself on the back 👏👏👏💜
Good review and indicative of why I’m weaning myself off of dependency on the Google and Pixel ecosystem. Their pattern of half-assing and eventually abandoning big swing ideas doesn’t make me comfortable investing in them any more.
I think it's definitely frustrating when you compare it to something that goes more "smoothly" like Apple. You understand what they're going for but the bumps/glitches that prevent it from being 100% get tiring.
Thanks for mentioning the issues with Assistant. I couldn't put a finger on why I enjoy my nest hubs less these days. All my lights are "made for Google" they are so inconsistent and slow to respond.
I totally get the frustration with google assistant, thats me with amazons alexa. Luckily since I've been using googles assistant I haven't had issues so I may try this tablet, last google tablet I had was the nexus 7, loved that thing!
The Nexus 7 was a legend. Absolutely loved that tablet.
Wondering if the song choice was a shout-out to the Google Glass original concept video? Amazing videos as always.
Thanks so much for highlighting every issue with Google Home. Maybe they'll listen.
I cannot believe you chose that clip for step 3. Genius.
100 percent on the GA. Stuff just doesn't work now and I never bothered fixing it. Started for me with the Nest buyout
I remember reading an article where someone at google mentioned the assistants' hardcoded respones were starting to show their limitations. Maybe they'll replace its back end with Bard.
My god Michael. I've just realized I've been following you for 7 years now. You have never disappointed me.
I'm curious about your Google ecosystem video. I have always struggled to accommodate Amazon into my place, but I'm curious what's a good balance of ecosystems. Mind you, I'm not an apple user, so my smart home systems will either be Google or Alexa based.
Now I've been thinking about being a bit more agnostic, adding a few flavours, such as the smartthings hub, Akara stuff, etc. I know it's not your core focus, but I'm curious about your thoughts.
You are too much. Only Mr. Mobile would make such a funny opening with a connection to SNL's "Di*k In A Box" hysterical
Agreed! No doubt there are issues in Mountain View with the Assistant team. If you've been using this stuff for years it's like a neglected project that never got finished. You get the tablet at least early on, you're using the same Assistant with issues it has now. The concern is they don't seem concerned..
Lol that MacOS Sonoma wallpaper on a Pixel tablet. Haha „bass” on a Portable BT speaker hahaha good one!
the mumble when casting wasn't working had me rolling on the floor, we've all had a similar experience 😂
I like the way Michael always looks at what came before, before looking at what we have now.
I'm happy to know that (3:09) there's pen support, but (3:33) the lack of mobile data connectivity and low maximum brightness (especially for someone like me who prefers dark themes) decreases my chances of buying one. I'm still happy to see a new tablet running Android without an annoying device manufacturer skin, though.
(2:41) That reminds me of the external 'keyboard' I currently use with my Galaxy Tab S4. Someone had a no-name keyboard case, and when that case fell apart, they decided to sell the keyboard/trackpad module and I bought it.
(3:01) I feel seen, except that I write my video scripts in Evernote. However, with Evernote's multi-window support being exclusive to their desktop app, I find myself usually bringing my laptop with its full Windows 10 experience (because it's an older model from 2015) instead, and eventually, once I finish moving my data from my laptop (which was my main PC for a few years) to my workstation is complete, I'd instead be remotely accessing the latter which has lots of RAM that would theoretically allow me to keep many Evernote note windows open for various projects I work on and jump between any time, besides the Edge app mode windows I have open for Milanote.
(3:50) That background you have there piqued my interest as someone who tends to be drawn towards book illustrations and comic art, but I assume that was from the Google Wallpapers app. (I think it reminded me of comic art created by Alec Longstreth)
I understand what you mean with the Assistant issues. I didn't end up using the voice features just because the only TTS voice options it had for my chosen dialects were either one male-sounding or one female-sounding voice, but no matter what I tried, those were the only two options available to me and I didn't feel comfortable with either. I wished I could try forcing it to use a specific voice and/or shift the pitch and speed. I also couldn't have a custom wake word to allow me to use a phrase I'm comfortable with.
(8:42) That was somewhat possible on the Galaxy Tab S4 with the One UI 'Daily Board' feature and the optional Samsung 'Charging Dock Pogo' accessory. Samsung technically did it first, but with an optional accessory, while Google did it with an included accessory and improved it with some of their own existing software and services.
Did not expect to see that particular “in a box” reference in a Mr Mobile video 🤣 that was fantastic.
You know the tab in the box seems like a great gift for each other's mothers.
Amazing reference at the start, bravo!
I don’t have a Google Home, I use HomeKit and my Mini HomePod and have felt the same. When I set it up it was really nice and would listen quite well. Now it too fights with my Watch/Phone for Siri requests. It also picks up my requests from rooms away but fails to from right next to it… It’s been frustrating.
You have echoed every last one of my complaints about Google Assistant in the last year. As I have transitioned my home away from Google-controlled to Home Assistant-controlled, this has gotten a little better (it doesn't fuck up my light controls anymore)...but my next big transition will be setting up HA to use the Google Assistant SDK to take over the "Assistant" role on my speakers. Then, finally, I will be using Google speakers for the only thing they are good for...their hardware. 🤦🏻♂️ Can't believe I'm saying that in 2023.
That Eames Lounge Chair is epic Michael! If "holy grail furniture" was a thing, it would be mine for sure. Great video, props to the crew too!
Lovely script. Delivered beautifully. Keep up the good work, mate!
Lmao. The 'I'm not talking to you!' bit 😂
It vaguely reminds me of the clock I have in my living room that was once a Motorola Droid Star Wars edition phone on a Star Wars dock. When you set it on the dock it automatically changes into a clock. Now of course it's an ex phone that has been on the dock so long that I have to remind myself it was once something else primarily. Dual use isn't a new idea, but maybe in time it will all be one device?
I understand this trick can't work for a lot of people, but I noticed that my google home devices got substantially more useful after I turned off diagnostic data and history. For some reason when I kept it on for long enough, assistant would start doing things it thought I would like rather than what I actually told it to do. An example would be when I was in my car and I told google to play a certain album on RUclips music, it eventually started playing user made playlists rather than the album I specified. The second I turned off all history and diagnostic data, though, it immediately reverted to the google assistant I used to know and love. I haven't had any problems with it misunderstanding commands or technical problems since. I am unsure as to why this would be the case because one would think that the diagnostic data would be helpful for more relevant answers, but it seems to care more about improving its own algorithm rather than actually being a useful assistant when the data is provided.
Slate user here. HUGE miss leaving out GPS. The amount of times I would have loved to use on road trips...
With the smart home debacle, i feel you, it felt like my Alexa devices were getting deaf, i switched to HomePods, and im very happy, i HOPE siri keeps being reliable on the homepod so i dont have to switch platforms yet again, the limitations of siri is a bummer, but at least she listens to me whenever i ask her something.
Please make a video completely on the bad Assistant. It's super important.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who has had issues with the Google Assistant. I used to use one Google home and a Google mini at my desk in the same room. It would constantly fight to respond Even though I was talking to one and not the other. After a while the responses would just break and not work. The only work around that I had was to only use one Google speaker per room.
I’m so happy you talked about how bad the google speakers/google home app is! I used to have speaker pairs in every room. It was wonderful until it wasn’t. The speaker pairs began separating. The speakers would remove themselves from the home. Sometimes they would stay paired and I would say “hey google stop the kitchen” it would replay “do you want to stop kitchen or kitchen speaker. I’ve gone through 4 routers trying to fix it. It forgets smart devices regularly. Disconnects from wifi all the time, especially my nest hub. Every two days I had to unplug it so that it would reconnect. The other day it wouldn’t stop playing music. “Stop” “stop playing music” “pause” ::tap the top several times:: nothing. Had to unplug. It’s so bad that I actually bought an iPhone and said “ hey google I switched to apple because your devices are awful” it replied “I don’t understand” lol. I have regrets for buying 30 smart devices that operate through the smartlife app. I have to repurchase everything. I already have HomePod minis in the house now but I have 3 single, not pairs, assistant speakers to operate my house. I’ll be spending $1,000 on Amazon as soon as I pay off what I already owe on my card to replace everything. Mostly bulbs, switches, plug dimmers/switches. I was a diehard google fan before this. I started losing faith in android when they made the pull down menu buttons twice as big and requiring a second pull down to see more toggles. I’m very happy with my iPhone. I bought a used pixel 6 and returned it the very next day because I’m an apple person. “Hey google, you lost a customer”
Liked for hitting me in the Millennial nostalgia with the Lonely Island gag.
Well done on the SNL Digital Short that is playing on the Pixel Tablet! Bravo Mr. Mobile, Bravo 💯
a velcro strip under the base would work wonders to keep it down
I've also found that the Assistant has gotten worse for me also! It's awful and I no longer use my smart hubs in favour of just asking my phone
I love this thing. I just wish the dock worked without the tablet so you could play music through it or take phone calls etc.. Also, you got the chair! it looks fantastic.
That Dick in a Box joke landed so hard 😂😂 Mr. Mobile if we ever cross paths I'm treating you to drinks all night 🍻
Michael, speakers competition for listening yes but groups? My groups have been flawless for years...
I have created an "All speakers" named group since the beginning. Asking to play on all speakers reliably works. I mean I can't remember the last time it didn't work 😊
The **** in a box joke was GOLDEN! Love it lol
Very nice vid Michael. A lot of work went into that, and it was worth it. Thumbs up!
I can’t wait for a deep deep deep dive into the Google Pixel Fold! It’s the first phone that has made me consider leaving my iPhone.
OMG the D*** in a Box reference with music video on the tablet 😂😂😂
Im so glad you actually use Google Home day to day, so you know of these annoying issues. Ive been on it for years in my apartments and it just feels like a beta product. Multiple assistants responding to the same request at the same time. The wrong assistant responding (one that's further away or even in a different room). This is especially annoying when you ask it to play music because now it can barely hear when you ask it to stop. It's also annoying when combined with another problem; alarms and timers aren't synchronized across devices. So if you happen to be in a different spot in your home when you ask it the status of your alarm/timer, it just tells you that you dont have any alarms/timers, forcing you to remember where you were when you first set the alarm/timer, and forcing you to go there to check on it. Also, if the wrong speaker picks up the request (which you dont even know until it's already received it), it leads to a lot of unnecessary confusion.
Also, there's no limited permissions! Meaning if you give someone access to your smarthome, they have full control over everything! Why would I want to give full access to my roommates, children, etc? There was rumors of the feature being added 2 YEARS AGO. Still NOTHING. If this was a serious product it would 100% be there from day one.
Its a shame too because I love the Google Assistant, but Google Home is more in a "toy to tinker with" phase in my eyes.
Didn't we already have this with Nexus 7 2012 and dock? Oh wait, we have a speaker integrated in the doc, oooh the innovation, took them 11 years.
I'm glad I'm not the only one noticing googles issues. I've got a pixel phone, watch, speaker, cast, buds, and lights and google has been having so many issues lately figuring out what I'm asking.
Especially Google selling Domains to Squarespace, for probably "not making enough money". I'm convinced that google assistant is gonna be discontinued
omg we thought it was just our home! so glad to know we weren’t crazy. lol as each Google home mini and smart light stopped working we just slowly receded into a dumb home.
That D*** in the box reference is pure genius 👌🏻
Super chill video as always, nice!
As for the Google Assistant woes, yep they're the same over on this side of the pond.
Always special when you find out one favorite RUclipsr is a fan of a other. 4:29
Dude, I adore your reviews. This was informative and entertaining.
It's like we never knew what to do with a piece of tech like the tablet, the device that's still trying to find its way.
love the lonely island video in the b roll footage. remember watching that video in 360p on Vista
You nailed everyone's sentiment within 49 seconds
Your taste in videos (along with the "subtle" 'd*** in a box' reference)...LOL. Seriously, good review.
I've had similar issues with Google speakers. Also, when I ask it to switch off a plug/light, it ONLY works on the second attempt. Exact same request. They lose WiFi network frequently. They sometimes cannot hear me from the room I'm in, but the next room does. So I 100% agree, I have same issues. I'm in the UK. I have one of each of their devices too, Mini, Nest Mini, Home, and the original speaker.
4:29 It's our friend Mike Brady from Oceanliner Designs!
4:29
Hey, I know that guy!
I love the approach here. Its a tablet that's more useful when its not being used than when it is.
It's actually really cool to see that you're also a Mike Brady fan!
Dave, it seems like you were in a rush while recording the video, hahaha
Nice video, as always. 👌🏽
So glad you've raised this point regarding nest and the assistant. How can Google expect to buy in to any of their future products when, after kitting my whole house out with nest and nest compatible speakers, the assistant has become totally broken. Pretty much every time I play some music on one speaker, another will say something went wrong. Speaker groups just don't work, random 'i don't understand' messages when I haven't even asked it anything. This needs to be talked about more but really grateful you've brought the issue attention to such a big following
Great video Michael! It's been interesting to me how voice assistants have reduced in relevancy while simultaneously being more wide spread then they ever were. Brings to mind some thoughts that have been brewing in my mind recently...
I don't care for Google Assistant integration on my phone; so much so I never even set it up on my S23. While 4 years ago it mattered a lot to me to have on a phone, it never proved itself useful in daily use on a phone. It also, like you point out, was just laggy and annoying every time. On the other hand, I have an Alexa in bedroom that I use everyday as a wireless speaker & weather device-it's mighty useful for JUST those two things.
Some of the assistant enabled alarm clocks wouldn’t play custom playlists even from RUclips music, the speaker group and playlist thing made me switch to Spotify and Alexa for my smart home stuff and I haven’t looked back, it just works better
I still use my Nexus 7 from 2013 as a smart hub. You can do this with any Android tablet, just a little less seamlessly.
The wi-fi disconnection and frequent cast/Spotify connection failures have also happened to my google home mini. Glad it isn’t just me.
Great video man! I live abroad and use some Google products in Spanish and I also felt that over time they have gotten worse but here I was thibking it was only me since no other reviewer ever mentions it. I think I will get this product..... when it comes down in price.
Title reminds me of the old Bell Atlantic Mobile "A cellphone is only as good as the network/system its on"
That quick clip of motherlover was the most unexpected part of this video!
Came here for a review and left feeling validated about just how much trouble I've had with Google Assistant lately...
Its not just Google Assistant getting funky. Siri and the homepods have also been doing some pf the same things youve reported.
I really enjoy your work and videos, keep up the great work! Best tech videos online by far!
Also nice double play on the NEST🕯️0:38
Maybe I’m the first to notice. But didn’t the blackberry playbook have a docking. So I used it as a smart screen for movies or alarm clock and had call option. Only not really a smart home solution but close to it.
I had assumed it had something to do with the internet connection as well. My mother lives in a small trailer and her Google assistants have the same non responsive issue and triggering a speaker in another room.
Michael! Love your reviews and I tested my "all devices" using Spotify and it worked flawlessly. I really haven't had issues with my smart devices malfunctioning but one really weird issue is that my Google Hub or Mini will randomly ask a question I didn't ask. Literally complete silence and then it starts talking. Technology ghosts? The Matrix having bugs?
Mr. Fisher. Thank you for the review. I appreciate your comments regarding the constant issues with assistant. I noticed recently that if you have more than one band type within your home (2.4Ghz to 5Ghz), that can be where the problems evolve from. I have a router that supports both frequencies and the older google devices pander to the 2.4Ghz for obvious reasons. My experience has been that when you resolve that problem, the assistant does work fairly well with connectivity. I'm looking forward to your "Google Experience" video as I'm more interested in this device from a pixel experience than as a dock. I've always favored android and have jumped onto the pixel train with phones, but have still kept an iPad. Samsung's cost to experience doesn't weigh out in my opinion. I'm hopeful that the pixel tablet can bring a similar or better experience to what we saw from the Nexus 7 FHD model way back when.
I am hoping when you make the pixel ecosystem video you also compare it to samsung and apples ecosystem and how it stacks up features wise and if not it could be a good idea for its own video going over pros and cons to each ecosystem and whats like to switch from one and another since some people think about switch but want to know the downsides to doing so and what to look out for
I had google home stuff tied into my house years ago and it did the exact same thing. It worked great for about a year and then everything just broke, no matter what I did couldn’t fix it. I reset everything and set it up like it was my first time and it still just was broken. I have since moved onto iOS and with it Apple Home and it has been virtually flawless for 3 years now. I figure it has to do with the Apple solution running locally for the most part. Google’s implementation is cloud based requiring everything to talk to the servers and constantly be updating their status. Since Apple Home uses a hub (Apple TV, HomePod, or iPad) it is instant with commands and I have rarely if ever have any issues with things working most likely due to the fact I have a NAS running Homebridge and the Hub mentality over the cloud approach.
And just like a Google nest, you cannot move it anywhere unless you actually want to deal with moving furniture because unsightly cables exist and the thing you put it on is probably in front of the outlet blocking it from view.
It's super useful to own or use a reliable two-in-one device both a tablet and smart device in one.
That Lonely Island reference definitely caught me off guard!
Yes, assistant forgetting my lights drives me crazy.
the SNL 3 way golden rule reference is hilarious