Google is working on a new feature called Audiomojis that will let you add sound effects to phone calls. Attention to this new feature has done nothing but prove Google’s priorities wrong. Since users already face many frustrations with the product, it seems counterproductive to focus on a feature that lacks practical application. Instead of creating useless gimmicks, why doesn’t Google focus its resources on improving Android?
Hearing absurdity
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We recently reported on Audiomojis, Google’s upcoming phone call sound effects feature. With it, you can insert six sound effects, along with animations, into your phone call. Some of these effects include clapping and sadness (which I assume is the sound of gentle sobbing). These effects could be useful for use against telemarketers and scammers, but there’s a much more robust feature built into Pixel phones for that. It’s called Call Screen and it works like a charm, answering unwanted calls.
Audiomojis are coming to your Android phone
Sound-based reactions are currently in development for the Phone app
In addition to sound, an associated animation will appear on your screen when Audiomoji is used, according to reports, adding another performance layer of features, which is exactly what you want when you’re on the phone with your elderly aunt.
Unsolved issues
Google has to fix a lot of other things first
The Play Store is a container full of clones. Its algorithm barely works and reviews are spammed by AI. Meanwhile, Android updates remain inconsistent across OEMs, and some devices will never receive updates to the underlying OS.
There is also Chrome which lacks many features that you can find in other browsers. For example, the ability to move the search bar to the bottom of the screen seems trivial, but most other browsers allow it. It’s not Chrome. Read-friendly mode is another option included in every other browser. Chrome doesn’t have one, although Google recently rolled out an intricate reader view switcher in a separate app that juts out to the side of your screen if you want to use it.
Google TV is neglected. The menu is laggy and slow, and there’s a real lack of customization that locks you into ad-filled spaces. There is a long list of things that Google could improve.
Pixel phones are great, but they’re plagued by issues like overheating, modem issues, and general inconsistencies with the Tensor series of chips. Then there’s Google Gemini, which recently caused a firestorm of controversy when the artificial intelligence refused to generate images of an entire group of people in a historical setting, forcing the company to stop generating images of all people.
However, Google has decided that the best way forward is Audiomojis.
As impractical as they sound
Who wants to fiddle with their phone in the middle of a conversation?
Let’s imagine you’re having a conversation and you suddenly realize that this is the perfect place in the conversation to insert a drum sound. While the audio might add some levity to the conversation, the mechanics might prove a bit cumbersome to maneuver before the moment is over.
Similar to pulling the dial in the middle of a call, you’d have to take the phone away from your ear, fumble around with the Audiomoji app/feature for the right menu, find the appropriate sound and accompanying emoji, and then select it. While the exact mechanics remain to be seen, if we were to hazard a guess, it’s likely to be a lot of trouble for little reward.
Limited resources
Google should focus its resources
Google has a lot of money, but it has limited time and engineers. Instead of bundling resources into a gimmick to excite the executive suite, the company should focus on making Android awesome. A quirk here or there is fine, but Google holds itself to a higher standard, and that just doesn’t deliver.
For starters, Google needs to address issues with the Play Store and Chrome. In particular, the Play Store needs to be renewed and its user experience completely reworked. Chrome on Android should also be a priority for Google. At least put it on par with Chrome on iOS, which is a slick browser filled with useful features. Chrome’s dropdown menu for refreshing or opening new tabs on iOS is fantastic and should be implemented on Android.
Google also needs to implement stricter quality controls over the Pixel line. There’s no reason phones should have so many problems with modems, overheating, and crashes, things that other high-end devices solved years ago.
Google could fix these things and focus on delighting its users instead of spending time and engineering resources developing gimmicks.
Let’s hope Google listens.
Fix existing products first
The audio emoticons highlight a worrying trend at Google, where flashy gimmicks are being prioritized over important fundamental fixes. Chrome on Android needs parity with other browsers, the Play Store needs a complete overhaul, and Gemini AI could use some serious tweaking. Google needs to devote resources to recreating great technology instead of impracticalities like Audiomojis.
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