Anyone have experience with Google Assistant?

In My Humble Opinion
1

This all started when I wanted something to replace my ancient Sonos controller and also to provide a digital clock in the bedroom.

I am leaning towards Google Assistant because I’m heavily invested in the Google universe with Gmail, Calendar, and android phones.

I was looking at this device for the bedroom - https://store.google.com/ca/product/nest_hub_2nd_gen?hl=en-CA

2

My question is quite the opposite. Occasionally, for unknown reasons, Google Assistant will pop up on my Android and offer some Google Assistance. How do I turn it off? If I wanted help I’d ask for it. I can’t figure out how to uninstall, delete, or otherwise disable this thing.

3

I don’t have any experience with that particular device but we have one of the older hockey puck jobbers. I bought it from some deal for $5 and tossed it in a corner until my wife mentioned looking for something like it. So now she has it near her desk and uses it for reminders, timers, playing music and that sort of thing. Seems easy enough to use: “Hey Google, remind me on August 4th at 8:30am to respond to this thread” or “Hey Google, set a timer for forty-five minutes”, etc. Rarer are times she asks it “What is…” but that seems to work just as well. Curiously, it plays music via Spotify rather than Google’s own YouTube Music. Maybe newer versions (and ones with screens) make use of YT Music since, you know, Google owns it.

I realize that’s all probably not super helpful for the exact device you’re asking about but our general experience with Google Assistant has been positive enough.

4

I have a Nest Hub. It’s a great device!

For years, Google Assistant has been my go-to smart assistant, but recently it’s gotten pretty bad. Like it’ll have trouble hearing what I’m exactly saying when it never used to before. I find that I use the Amazon Echos in my house much more frequently as a result.

YouTube Music is indeed selectable as default music app in the Assistant settings (as well as Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and Deezer). It’s quite possible at some point you or your wife selected Spotify as the default player.