New Update breaks Google Assistant on the Pixel 4

[droid]

Google made some big changes to Google Assistant this year for the Pixel 4 series. First, it moved the processing on-device which makes the virtual digital helper more responsive. Google also shrunk down the size of the UI to prevent Assistant from taking over much of the Pixel's display. By all accounts, Pixel 4 users are happy with the changes, but there is some bad news for those who installed the latest beta version of the Google app.

According to 9to5 Google, version 10.90 of the Google app beta creates some issues when the user tries to launch Assistant on a Pixel 4. Swiping up from one of the bottom corners fails to awaken the AI helper although some might see a message that reads "Assistant will be ready soon." Other methods of activating Google Assistant such as calling out the "Ok Google" or "Hey Google" wakeword don't work and neither does tapping on the Assistant's icon in the Pixel Launcher's search bar.

The beta update started rolling out last night and doesn't affect features that are tied to Assistant such as the Updates page and Lens. Users can still get the weather, search for something, or listen to a podcast. Keep in mind that this issue is limited to Google Assistant on the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL.