I’ll be pissed if Assistant with Bard isn’t available on my Pixel Fold

As Galaxy AI takes over the world now that the Galaxy S24 is out, my focus is once again on what Google is planning with Bard. The company has just introduced Imagen 2 image generation in Bard while expanding Gemini Pro’s reach to more countries and in more languages.

This is great news, but it’s not exactly the news I was hoping for. No, I’m not talking about Gemini Ultra, which is still expected to arrive this year. Instead, I’m still wondering where in the world Bard’s assistant is. Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen more and more leaks about what the interface will look like, and Google might even rename it to simply “Gemini.”

Alongside one of the most recent leaks, Michael Rahman shared that the Wizard with Bard could land as early as March. But he goes on to reveal what I fear most: the new Assistant may not be available on all devices. In his tweet, Rahman says that “the rumored Pixel tablet, Pixel Fold and Pixel Fold 2 appear on the deny list.”

So basically if you’re using one of the best Android phones that isn’t Pixel, you won’t be able to use it. To add insult to injury, if you’re like me and spent $1,800 on the Pixel Fold, we might be out of luck.

For a while now, it’s felt like Google and other Android phone makers are moving toward an Apple-like walled garden experience. Instead of being the “open platform for all”, Android simply becomes worse. Features are locked to certain devices, such as ECG and blood pressure monitoring, which do not work with Galaxy Watch on a non-Samsung device.

Samsung got “first shots” at Wear OS, which left Fossil with no choice but to exit the smartwatch segment altogether. There are other examples, but it’s mostly about how Samsung invests money in different companies to have “exclusive features.” I’m looking at you, Microsoft.

Now it seems Google has learned the wrong things after working alongside Samsung for so long. What makes the situation worse is that Google is fragmenting ITS OWN DEVICES. We’ve finally reached the point where fragmentation is no longer a dirty word, and Google decides to throw the whole thing away.

The Pixel 8 Pro getting features the Pixel 8 doesn’t has makes a little more sense, but not much. The same goes for the differences between the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Ultra, which mostly come down to specs. This is to be expected, given that this is how phone manufacturers have been offering different phones in the same range for years.

However, in the case of the Pixel Fold, for $1,800, not only can I not enjoy or take advantage of some of the new AI-based features announced with the Pixel 8 series, but I won’t even be able to use the new version of Assistant. Honestly, just thinking about it makes my blood boil. I expect it from Samsung. I expect it from Apple (in a different way.) I don’t do it expect this from Google.

I’m also aware that this is just speculation at this point and Google could change its mind. Especially since the Pixel Fold 2 rumor should be powered by at LEAST the Tensor G3, if not the Tensor G4. So it wouldn’t make sense that Google Assistant with Gemini Bard wouldn’t be available on the company’s next foldable.

If anything, this is just another example of why Google doesn’t really care about hardware and doesn’t care about its users. Instead, anyone buying a Pixel phone should just do it provided that you are a beta user and Google treats you as such.

But if Google’s “big plan” is to release a revamped and renamed version of Assistant, what’s stopping the Pixel Fold from being included? Hell, if Mishaal is right, the Tensor G1-powered Pixel 6 will get Google Assistant Gemini with Bard, which you can still buy new on Amazon for less than $350.

All of this only reinforces the idea that Google has no idea what it’s doing with Bard or Gemini. After this was announced, I wrote that I was “all aboard the Assistant with Bard hype train.” Since Bard’s assistant hasn’t even arrived at the station yet, I’m really inclined to leave the station.

Bard is cool, but so are ChatGPT, Perplexity, and even Hell Microsoft Copilot shows a lot of promise. Google was leading the way, at least when it came to Assistant, and now it’s just wandering aimlessly. Maybe that will change, and hopefully I’ll have to eat my words, but I really don’t think that will happen. At least not this time.