GoKawiilJack Wallen/ZDNET
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ZDNET's key takeaways
Dicio is a solid replacement for Google Assistant.
Dicio handles basic tasks very well (including hands-free calling).
The free app's main drawback is that it does not work with Android Auto.
I recently wrote about the problems Gemini has with reliably making hands-free calls. Given that Assistant handled this task with ease and predictability, it's worrisome that Google is set on permanently tossing Assistant aside, without having solved this hands-free issue.
When I learned that Google Assistant would be discontinued next month, I decided to look for an alternative. That search led me to a free and open-source app called Dicio.
According to the Dicio GitHub page, "Dicio is a free and open-source voice assistant running on Android. It supports many different skills and input/output methods, and it provides both speech and graphical feedback to a question. It interprets user input and (when possible) generates user output entirely on-device, providing privacy by design."
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