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Google says goodbye to an informative feature that brought parents and kids together

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By Alan Friedman

Published: Nov 27, 2023, 6:48 PM

Google says goodbye to an informative feature that brought parents and kids together

We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you're a fan of Google Assistant's "animal of the day" we have to tell you that with today's selection, Crickets, this feature is no more. If you ask Google Assistant to see the "animal of the day," underneath the description of Crickets is a box that reads, "By the way, unfortunately, animal of the day is going away at the end of November. After that I'll be still happy to answer other questions about your favorite animals to keep learning."

Considering that some parents made a daily habit out of presenting their kids with the Google Assistant "animal of the day," some of them for years, this is a feature that some will miss. Of course, you can always ask the Google Assistant to tell you a joke instead. Even though the Google Assistant "animal of the day" is no more, you'll still be able to ask the Assistant questions about a particular animal such as "Where do Coyotes live?"

You old-time phone enthusiasts out there might remember that when Apple introduced Siri with the iPhone 4s in 2011, one ad showed a young girl asking Siri, "What does a weasel look like?" Google Assistant will still be able to answer questions like that even if it won't discuss a random animal every day.

Google shuts down Assistant's Animal of the Day

Besides dropping the feature from the Google Assistant smartphone app, including the iOS version of the app, Google pulled "animal of the day" from Assistant on its smart display. Here is a typical complaint from the Google Nest community, this one written by "GotSka81" who says, "My Google Nest Display told me today that the Animal of the Day is being discontinued. Why? I acknowledge that I am just one person, but the animal of the day has been a fun activity for my family (two young boys) for as long as I can remember."

He goes on to state, "I'm very disappointed that Google seems completely disinterested in improving the products they create, instead opting to create new products (that are missing features and generally worse)." Another community member, "nstewarttx," sums up how many parents are feeling with a succinct statement that says, "Amazingly this educational feature fast became a daily habit that will be missed. Anyone know why?"

What is the reason for dropping something that has been called educational, fun, and has brought kids together with their parents? Google has yet to say, but the answer should be quite interesting.

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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.

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