I found, ages ago, that I never used the google app for something I couldn’t do in my browser. Like, this was back in the days just after Google Now died—all the features that almost worked just got scrapped because they really didn’t work. It allowed me to keep up with one college sports team, but other than that, opening the app was just a slower version of opening up my firefox and searching there.

So that’s what I do now. I disabled the Google app, and I don’t miss it at all.

It depends what you mean by “more than the basics.” Some things I used to do which could be considered more complicated have already been handicapped (like using 3rd party services). Others aren’t reliable so I stopped using them. Personally, I have no problem trying stuff out and speaking in the way the assistant understands, but there are very few complicated actions which are supported and reliable!

I use it for: general search queries, navigating to a place, turning on lights, setting timers, setting alarms, checking the weather, playing music, setting an appointment, setting reminders (though I prefer Todoist for this), listening to the NPR update.

Of the list of discontinued features here, I’ll actually miss driving mode, which I found handy to reduce my distraction on the road by reading notifications to me, allowing me to open Pocket Casts or Libby in a couple clicks, etc. I also used the feature occasionally to resume audiobooks from Play Books where I left off.

I use it for screen translation and screen searches, but only on the days when those buttons exist because Assistant can’t keep a UI on my phone for more than a week.

I use it to make phone calls from my wireless headphones, that’s about it.

I gave up on it entirely probably a year or so ago, as I found if anything it was getting worse.