This free Android assistant fixes my biggest Gemini frustration - and keeps my data private

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ZDNET's key takeaways

  • Dicio is a solid replacement for Google Assistant.
  • Dicio handles basic tasks very well (including hands-free calling).
  • The free app's main drawback is that it does not work with Android Auto.

I recently wrote about the problems Gemini has with reliably making hands-free calls. Given that Assistant handled this task with ease and predictability, it's worrisome that Google is set on permanently tossing Assistant aside, without having solved this hands-free issue.

When I learned that Google Assistant would be discontinued next month, I decided to look for an alternative. That search led me to a free and open-source app called Dicio.

According to the Dicio GitHub page, "Dicio is a free and open-source voice assistant running on Android. It supports many different skills and input/output methods, and it provides both speech and graphical feedback to a...

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