Google is finally pulling the plug on Google Assistant next month, and honestly, it's about time - not because Assistant was bad, but because Google's been treating it like the awkward relative at a family reunion ever since Gemini showed up. One of the biggest frustrations with Gemini? It can't reliably make hands-free calls, a task Assistant handled with the ease of a seasoned pro. Rather than fix that, Google's just... moving on. Classic.
Enter Dicio, a free, open-source voice assistant for Android that's here to catch the fallout. According to its GitHub page, Dicio is a "free and open-source voice assistant running on Android" that supports various skills and input/output methods, providing both speech and graphical feedback. The kicker? It processes everything on-device, so your data stays yours - no third-party eavesdropping, no cloud sending your secrets to Google's servers.
Dicio can handle the basics: weather, internet searches, song lyrics, opening apps, calculations, navigation, calling contacts, setting timers, controlling media, telling jokes, wake-word listening, translation, reading notifications, and even turning on your flashlight. It's like a Swiss Army knife for your voice, minus the ability to send messages or compose emails via voice, and it won't connect to Android Auto. But hey, nobody's perfect.
Setting up Dicio is a breeze. Just grab it from the Google Play Store, install it, and run through the setup wizard. You'll need to grant microphone permission, download the speech-to-text file, and set up the wake word - pronounced "diss-eee-oh," because apparently, we needed another pronunciation headache. Then you're off: say "Hey, Dicio..." and let it work its magic.
In testing, Dicio handled the usual tasks I'd throw at Assistant, though it's not without quirks. Opening apps can be hit-or-miss, and the lack of email/message sending is a bummer. But for a free, private alternative, it's surprisingly solid. The developer is actively working on it, so here's hoping those features arrive soon.
Dicio's biggest drawback is that Google doesn't recognize it as a valid voice assistant for Android Auto, so you can't use it hands-free while driving - unless you're not connected, which kind of defeats the purpose. Still, I'd rather keep my data local than risk sending it to Google's cloud for every little action.
And let's talk about Google's subscription creep. The cheapest Gemini plan is $7.99/month for Gemini AI Plus, which includes access to Gemini Flash 3.5, the Gemini app with Omni, Google Flow with Gemini Omni, Daily Brief, and AI Inbox in Gmail. Some basics remain free, but it's clear Google's betting big on AI. If they keep pushing paid tiers, more users might jump ship to Dicio - provided it gets the recognition it deserves.
For now, Dicio is my default assistant, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Google eventually opens the Android Auto doors. Until then, I'll happily trade a few missing features for the peace of mind that comes with on-device processing. Privacy, it turns out, is a feature - who knew?