Google Assistant button - remap workaround?

madbilly

Hi everyone,

The new 3.2 and 4.2 have a dedicated button for calling the Google Assistant app. AFAIK it cannot be remapped, Google forbid this, however, I wonder if it can be made to call another app by changing the default "assistant" app. This can already be done in Android 8.1, I don't know if it's possible in Android 9. Any app which say it is an "assistant" can be made to be default and then called by long-pressing the home button e.g. Firefox!

So, the question is, does this work for the dedicated assistant button?

Let me know when you get your 3.2 or 4.2!

Cheers

Tsapana

It should be possible, but looks like this system setting not working at least on nokia 7.2 - other assistant apps can not be selected. Looks like a bug in nokia's software layer.

Deb Ghosh

Yes. Apparently it worked for an XDA guy. But didnt work for me.

singhnsk

Yes, setting a different assist app works on all phones I tried. Last was a Nokia 2.2. I was able to pull Microsoft's Cortana using the GA button. Google would hate me doing that on a video 🤤

Yep, Firefox worked too. I could open a new Fox tab by pressing that handy button. But I'd have liked it more if I could just open existing opened tabs instead of a new blank tab :))

madbilly

Hi @singhnsk, I agree, the new tab function isn't much use except that I think it's possible to combine it with some sort of voice assist if you find the right add-on to work with Firefox for Android. I think it is or was an add-on which allowed voice input for various search engines. I never got it to work properly though.

Cheers 🙂

EDIT - Voice Fill! It was a Firefox Test Pilot add-on.

Philip_05

Google Assistant button should be customized

@sandi2708

https://community.phones.nokia.com/discussion/comment/141723#Comment_141723

It has worked for me. Using a button mapper app.

@sandi2708

https://community.phones.nokia.com/discussion/comment/138987#Comment_138987

First you have to turn assistant off from the settings and then install a button mapper to customize. I have customised the assistant button to take screenshots, splitscreen for supported apps and toggle flashlight. Till now it has been working flawlessly in my 7.2. No root was required.

madbilly

Hi Sandi2708,

First, I can't work out how to tag you with an @ at the front of your name - can you remove it please? 🙂

Second, thanks for the tips! This is very useful to know 😃

Cheers 🙂

paulo renan

Hello,

I tried the app called "Button Mapper: Remap your keys" from "flar2", and it does not recognise the assistant hardware button on my Nokia 8.3. I also tried setting assistant app to none and tried deactivating Google assistant app button, but no luck, remapper didn't recognise the button.

Btw, shouldn't the on/off option be called "Assist Button", instead of "Goggle Assistant Button"? Since you may in theory be Firefox anyway (in theory because it's not working on mine. When I press it, it gives a message "Set Google as default assistant app to access your assistant"), so it's not hardcoded to Google, right?

I don't use assistant apps, and therefore expect to be able to Remap this button.

The idea of voice assistant cloud listening all the time is way beyond my privacy threshold, I'm sure Nokia's engineers can understand that. So I imagine fixing that would be somewhat important.

Seems to me like it's something wrong on Nokia side. I change assistant app to Firefox, but the icon of the chosen app remains of the Google assistant. I go back to default apps and there it shows Firefox icon as default assistant. I go into default assistant setting again, and see Google assistant icon, it doesn't change. If I tap to change it, the selected app is Firefox, though it doesn't launch Firefox nor a new tab in it.

swilson

https://community.phones.nokia.com/discussion/comment/179153#Comment_179153

Completely agree @paulo renan, a constantly listening google assistant will be a privacy issue for a vast amount of people. I'm also trying to remap the button on my new 8.3 5G using the flar2 app, but it seems that remapping this button is blocked.

Nokia, can you please do something about this. For a lot of people this button will be useless. Remapping worked on prior phones (7.2 etc), why is it blocked for this useless assistant button here?

Marnes

Seconded. I just bought the 8.3 via my work and love it, it's a great phone, but the GA button is beyond useless to me in its current state. I don't use GA and don't want to. I can only imagine such "one track mind" (or "one usecase fits all users") design is the result of google strong-arming phone manufacturers to support its monopolies rather than customer-serving design.

I'd much rather make this button trigger my automation app, Automate, and let it in turn run whatever actions I want (like toggling do-not-disturb). Or at least let apps like flar2's Button Mapper detect the buttonpress on their own.