According to a report by 9to5Google, this new bug is making the Google Assistant in Pixel devices open keyboard input in place of voice entry. Moreover, these users have also seen “TNG” written at the bottom-left corner of their screen.
However, the report claims that Google is presumably working on an immediate fix, and a server-side update is expected to resolve the issue. Moreover, the report also recommends that the affected users should not uninstall updates to the Google app as it might negatively impact other Assistant features.
Which users are affected by the bug
As per the report, multiple users have reported this issue, however, not all users are affected. The report confirms that the issue could not be replicated on the Google app beta channel (version 13.33) across several accounts and Pixel phones.
How is the bug affecting users
The report mentions that when affected users are launching the Google Assistant through the power button, instead of showing voice entry, it is opening the keyboard. These users are facing the same issue while corner swiping or using the microphone icon in the Pixel Launcher search bar, or even when they give the voice command “Hey Google.”
Moreover, even if the user has selected “Voice” from the “Preferred Input” option of the Assistant Settings menu, the result is the same. The report also notes that switching the methods in the “Preferred Input” section is also not patching the issue.
Affected users are now stuck with tapping the voice microphone to be able to make voice entries. This method is not only adding an extra step during a search/command process but is also negating the whole “hands-free” purpose of the Assistant.
