Assistant App from Play Store? - Google Pixel 2 XL Questions & Answers

Should I install the Google Assistant app from the play store? On one hand, I don't want it to take anything away from my 2 XL assistant. On the other, will I miss incremental updates if I don't install it from there? I believe the ability to update apps without updating the entire system is why Google is releasing them as standalone. Just hoping someone has a valid reason to/not to do this. Thanks!

The store will auto-detect installed apps and suggest updates to you without you doing anything.
By the way, if you read the description, the Google Assistant app in the store does not actually install Google Assistant. This "app" just lets you have a shortcut in your app drawer or home screen like any other app would have to launch it, in case you prefer that over holding home, saying OK Google, or squeezing the edge.

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Weird temporary method to unfreeze Google Earth application

Hi Guys, Happy New Year . I think i found a weird way google earth can be unfrozen without Titanium Backup. Maybe this was known by most of you, but i didnt know it, so I am sharing it. you can go to http://www.google.com/mobile/android/ on your nexus and click on google earth application icon. It opens a link in google play store application where an option for enabling the application can seen. Once it is enabled the Google application appears in the app drawer. It works until the phone is restarted, Then the application gets frozen again. There are other applications on that web page like google play books, etc but i have had mixed results with them. Earth has been working properly. I think this works only on takju. Check the screen shots or my video on youtube to see what i am talking about.
Small video about this.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stoHWpLl1mI

Unused/Deleted Apps - Google Play Store - Support Reply

This may be covered in another thread, but i just received this from google support regarding my continued ***** about not being able to delete unused, uninstalled, non working apps listed on the play store granted.. they still show up on the web but now its not on my GSIII any longer.. Thank god... it took google too long to address this issue: :good:
Thank you for contacting Google. At this time, there is no way to delete records of old apps from the Google Play website (play.google.com).
However, if you're running the latest version (3.9+) of the Google Play Store app on your device (to find out the version you're running, launch Google Play, then tap Settings > Build version), you have the ability to remove apps from your My Apps list. At this time, the latest version of the Google Play Store app is slowly being released to devices around the world.
To do so, open the Google Play Store app > My Apps > All, tap the gray circle on the app you want to remove, then tap OK to confirm. You can select multiple apps to remove from the list by long-pressing an app, then tapping more apps in the list.
Note that you will only see the gray circle for apps that are not installed on that device. Removing an app from your My Apps list will uninstall the app from any other devices associated with your account. To get an app back that you've removed from your My Apps list, you must re-download the item from Google Play. If you remove a purchased app, there's no need to re-purchase that app - simply visit the app's details page on Google Play and re-install it.
If you're still running a version of the Google Play Store app below 3.9, you will not be able to remove apps from your My Apps list.
Regards,
Danielle
The Google Play Support Team.
I wish every time you deleted an app the list didn't refresh all the way to the top.. Also after rom installs do they come back and show again?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747
grkmaster said:
I wish every time you deleted an app the list didn't refresh all the way to the top.. Also after rom installs do they come back and show again?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No they do not. They are also removed from the PC version when you log on from there. It makes it so much easier to try and an app and then delete it for good out of your list.
Nice to be able to finally batch delete...now if only we could batch install...
Sent from my SGH-I747M using xda premium
Well..you can now...the downside? Batch remove isn't available anymore.
The list doesnt refresh anymore thank god. It was so irritating when each time you erase the app from the list you have to scroll again to the point where you stopped before removing the app from the list. And I just got to know that you can actually select multiple apps from that list and install them at once instead of going to each app and pressing intall. COOL!!!

[Q] Sideloaded FirePhone Google Maps (or other apps) not working correctly thread

Hi,
I was able to get Google Play on the unlocked $199 Amazon firephone without rooting. Also was able to get All google apps from play store and change the Launcher.
Only question is that Google maps labels are being overlapped (they are not refreshing) - Is this a known google map side load problem, or I just have a crappy version of the app with the wrong resolution?
Thanks,
( I have the steps to easily get Google play on the fire sale forum topic)
- As an employee of the maker, I will try to get the guys at Lab126 release some dev version that allows users to easily switch between Google experience and Amazon experience on this phone seamlessly - that would make it truly a good phone.
What happens when Google pushes an update to the store? Does this stop working?
The overlapping text appears to be caused by Google Maps not detecting the phone's resolution correctly. Can you try an older version of Google Maps?
Sorry if I'm not being helpful--I won't have my Fire Sale Phone yet until Tuesday.
Aztecwarrior25 said:
Hi,
I was able to get Google Play on the unlocked $199 Amazon firephone without rooting. Also was able to get All google apps from play store and change the Launcher.
Only question is that Google maps labels are being overlapped (they are not refreshing) - Is this a known google map side load problem, or I just have a crappy version of the app with the wrong resolution?
Thanks,
( I have the steps to easily get Google play on the fire sale forum topic)
- As an employee of the maker, I will try to get the guys at Lab126 release some dev version that allows users to easily switch between Google experience and Amazon experience on this phone seamlessly - that would make it truly a good phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jaywong said:
The overlapping text appears to be caused by Google Maps not detecting the phone's resolution correctly. Can you try an older version of Google Maps?
Sorry if I'm not being helpful--I won't have my Fire Sale Phone yet until Tuesday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Extremely old version worked fine (4.4) - Tried all the ICS and up version 8.0 through to current - all have the label problem. Could be Some GPU rendering issue with text (I worked for something similar at my last job) - the website maps look ok from chrome/etc. so it must be in the app - dunno if I should reverse engineer the APK to get the setting corrected - I filed a bug with google to see if it is a known problem with certain devices.
I am using google maps for search and then using nokia maps for navigation currently - so should not be a big problem for now.
If you can get devs to release a version that can toggle ON/OFF the AVD launcher that'd be awesome. It shouldn't take too much time to do.
Meanwhile I guess we'll just have to sideload apps
Overlapping text
Aztecwarrior25 said:
Hi,
I was able to get Google Play on the unlocked $199 Amazon firephone without rooting. Also was able to get All google apps from play store and change the Launcher.
Only question is that Google maps labels are being overlapped (they are not refreshing) - Is this a known google map side load problem, or I just have a crappy version of the app with the wrong resolution?
Thanks,
( I have the steps to easily get Google play on the fire sale forum topic)
- As an employee of the maker, I will try to get the guys at Lab126 release some dev version that allows users to easily switch between Google experience and Amazon experience on this phone seamlessly - that would make it truly a good phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't know if this is relevant because I am not a developer but if you go into settings/applications and parental control/manage applications, then click on google maps and then on clear data, when you go back into google maps there is no overlapping of text initially. After you start zooming out or moving around the map, the overlapping starts back up.
I've noticed that the maps, on first launch, looked fine.
My Gmail will sporadically sync emails. Sometimes, it's instant; other times, it won't try to sync at all.
Found simple workaround for Google Maps If you don't use the voice Navigation feature (needed for California in driving)-
(uninstall Google Maps - optional)
1) Install Chrome and allow it to use location
2) from google app search for address by your voice and get direction card (google now style)
3) tap card (will prompt you to open first time with native Nokia/Here or Chrome or Gmaps)
4) Use Chrome to see the map and you can set chrome as default
Chrome Google map application/page is mostly same functionality as the Jelly bean version of Google maps (Left menu has traffic, transit, bicycle & satellite) only terrain is missing. - You can also bookmark Google map in Chrome and get almost everything you need for directions in regular usage.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think I have narrowed down the app problem to the system fonts/antialiased fonts used by the stupid fire OS - without rooting I doubt you can change the system font of the phone. If somebody has developer mode -try enabling GPU rendering and see if anything stands out v/s other android devices - I will check on my wife's HTC One M8 later.
snapplefish said:
I've noticed that the maps, on first launch, looked fine.
My Gmail will sporadically sync emails. Sometimes, it's instant; other times, it won't try to sync at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah. The Gmail app has problems. It crahes periodically and doesn't want to auto sync. Also, i can't add a second Google account. It says that it can't communicate with Google servers and then gives a message about no network connection which is wrong.
I am on Thor Gapps Rom ( 13.3.2.4 ) rom and got the same issue too!
Google Earth works just fine - So there are 2 workarounds - Google Maps from Chrome and Google Earth
The Waze app also seems OK.
Upload to Fire OS 4.6.1 . the issue gets solved. You week receive an OTA update.
Sent from my SD4930UR using XDA Free mobile app

Google assistant vs Google search bar

If this has been discussed, I did not find it.
My Google assistant can not read my last text from a sender, but google search bar does. Also google search bar will change the temperature on my nest thermostat. Google assistant says it can not control this equipment. Am I missing some permissions somewhere?
st3ph3nbr!tt said:
If this has been discussed, I did not find it.
My Google assistant can not read my last text from a sender, but google search bar does. Also google search bar will change the temperature on my nest thermostat. Google assistant says it can not control this equipment. Am I missing some permissions somewhere?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry no input but I would like to hear solution as I have Nest too.
Still no info? Assistant is a big deal on this device. I can't believe that the new all encompassing AI won't do tasks that regular ole google search does.
I don't have an answer for you, but I have also noticed some inconsistencies between google assistant and google now. It would appear they are not tightly linked. Nest thermostat is how i noticed it at first, same as you. Assistant searches the internet where as Google Now sets the temperature. What sucks about this is that "OK Google" opens the assistant, so no more hands free temp changes.
MKBHD noticed an inconsistency as well in his SIRI vs Google Assistant video. In short, my assumption is that Google Assistant is just new, and they either forgot to or haven't yet integrated all the features of Google now. I guess for now we wait.
When I look through apps, there's no mention of assistant... Even when showing system apps. How is assistant supposed to update? Only when we get system updates? That doesn't seem correct to me.
st3ph3nbr!tt said:
When I look through apps, there's no mention of assistant... Even when showing system apps. How is assistant supposed to update? Only when we get system updates? That doesn't seem correct to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's probably baked hidden into one of the Google apps like "Pixel Launcher" or something. Just a guess though.
So... Workaround found. Not sure if this was the way assistant was intended to work all along, but downloaded IFTTT, linked it up, and can now control my nest through assistant. All the possibilities with this app and assistant have me really excited!
Another discrepancy I found between the two... Google now can identify songs. Google assistant says can't identify songs yet. Google is supposed to be opening up for developers and third party access to the AI either November or December. I would think this is when Assistant will really blossom.

How has the google app gotten so large?

I checked my update apps option in the google play store. And saw the google app needed a new update. Clicked update and was surprised to see the google app now qualifies as a large download through the play store? How can this be possible? What's going on with their code writing to make the app so large?!
I think it is due to new libraries and components, which have increased in number and size, but, this is just a guess…

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