New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….
Original story (published on February 08, 2022) follows:
Smart Displays have become very popular in recent years. These devices have many useful utilities and have gained more over time.
A Smart Display can be used as a central hub to manage all the IoT home devices. It also expands the functionality of some (for instance, it can be connected to home security cameras).
Another useful Smart Displays tool is web browsing or access. However, this feature came to Google Assistant compatible devices in 2020
Until recently, users of any Google Assistant compatible Smart Display could use the web access or browsing feature. But this has recently changed quietly.
Many users of Smart Displays from brands like Lenovo (and others) recently lost the web access feature as it is now exclusive to Google Nest and Home Smart Displays.
Google Assistant web access not working on Lenovo (and others) Smart Displays
The web access feature on Smart Displays allows things like making searches through the Google Assistant and receiving the results on the screen.
Now when Smart Display users (other than Google Nest and Home) try to browse the web, they just get a ‘Can’t be shown. Websites are turned off for this device. Learn more: g.co/ assistant/web-filter’ message.
The problem started suddenly and with no apparent explanation a few weeks ago. It was not due to any misconfiguration in the security of the users’ connection according to reports.
I’ve had my lenovo smart display for over two years and have always been able to visit websites. Usually when searching for recipes or random google searches. However, this morning I got this error message :
“Can’t be shown. Websites are turned off for this device. Learn more: g.co/assistant/web-filter’. Source
The feature is now exclusive to Google Nest and Home Smart Displays
The cause of the issue is not on the users’ side, but on poor communication from Google. Going forward, the Google Assistant web access feature is exclusive to Google Nest and Home Smart Displays.
The above can be seen on the company’s support page. Google made the change quietly so many users are unaware.
However, many are upset about losing such a useful feature on their devices. There is still no official statement from Google about the complaints. It is also not known if the company will consider reverting this change.
We will keep our eyes open for new events that arise to update this article.
Update 1 (February 11)
06:33 pm (IST): Responding to user reports, an Assistant Community Manager explains why Google Assistant web access is not working on Lenovo Smart Displays. Here’s the complete explanation.
She also provided a workaround for the unsupported hardware. So users can try and see if it helps.
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