Megan Ellis / Android Authority
While I was looking for a worthy Google News alternative, I moved to Gemini for my morning news fix. It felt like a natural substitute because we’ve been using Google Assistant forever to hear it narrate the day’s news like a personal TV news reporter. Whenever I have a moment to distract myself during my morning routine — say, while brushing my teeth — I get Gemini to narrate the news.
It goes well, though, only for a minute or two. As soon as I need to ask a follow-up question, I start to sorely miss Continued Conversation — a cherished Home speaker feature Google snatched away from us.
Did removing Continued Conversation affect your routine? 46 votes Yes, it broke my workflow 63 % Yes, but I adjusted 11 % No, I didn’t even notice 26 %
It’s such a downfall without Continued Conversation
With Continued Conversation now gone from ‘regular’ Gemini in favor of Gemini Live, my morning routine has gone for a toss. My phone’s screen is set to time out after a minute of inactivity, so the screen goes off while Gemini is mid-sentence if I don’t constantly tap it every few seconds. That’s still a minor annoyance that I work around by extending the wake time before starting the news routine.
Gemini — as an upgrade to Google Assistant — was supposed to understand context better and know how I want things, especially when I’ve explicitly told it so. I have asked it to include Indian news and local coverage from my city in its everyday briefing, but it conveniently forgets this on some days and focuses exclusively on it on others. So I have to keep tapping the mic, not out of choice but out of force.
And that’s exactly my biggest annoyance, especially when my hands aren’t free. I have to keep the screen lit and continue tapping the mic each time I need more details on a story or want updates on a particular segment. Continued Conversation used to automate all of that — I just needed to ask — but Google decided to take it away from us.
So, why don’t you use Gemini Live, Karan?
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