It’s not your fault: Setting timers with Google Assistant on smart displays is busted right now

Google Assistant is great…when it works. Generally, failed attempts to command your personalized helper can be chalked up to not speaking loud enough or clear enough for it to comprehend you. Other times, it’s due to you not using the right hotwords or phrases to get the reaction you want. Today, it’s not your fault at all – Assistant is having trouble setting timers for users on smart displays.

User Phil Nickinson of Digital Trends shows an example of this on Twitter. When asking the Assistant to set a timer in his home on his Nest Hub, it responds with “Sorry, I don’t know how to help with that.” Instead of doing what it’s asked, it suggests other actions that can be performed.

He’s not alone either – many others have reported encountering the same issue, and Google has spoken out regarding it stating that it’s aware of the situation and is “working on an immediate fix”. Earlier today, a spokesperson reached out to Android Police to verify this.

I’ve been pretty vocal about the fact that the Google Assistant experience seems to be getting progressively worse the longer I use it. For example, while at home and attempting to control smart devices, my phone will reply with “Got it, but first, you’ll have to unlock your device“, even though my smart speakers should be replying instead.

I think that the more Assistant grows in users and functionality, the more sloppy it feels. I hope that issues like the timers breaking and the lack of intelligence across the board are resolved over the next year or less because it’s getting very difficult to continue using it day-to-day.