JioPhone, some Nokia phones just lost this feature; are you affected? Check now

JioPhone and some Nokia phone users will not be able to use this handy feature.

This Google move could impact devices from JioPhone, Nokia, Alcatel and CAT, which all run on the KaiOS operating system. (Nokia)

KaiOS is the best mobile operating system for users who do not want the full smartphone experience and prefer the more power-efficient and simpler feature phones, like those offered by JioPhone and Nokia handsets. These phones come with the ability to send WhatsApp messages, browse the web and use voice commands for hands-free operation. However, a recent report suggests that KaiOS has lost the ability to send text messages and place calls through the use of voice commands, which could affect phones that run on the operating system, the most notable being JioPhone and Nokia.

While phones running KaiOS are able to run apps like WhatsApp, YouTube, Facebook, Google Maps and over a thousand others from the KaiStore, an important feature that relied on the Google Assistant is no longer available, according to a report by 9to5Google. The report states that a wide range of KaiOS devices have been unable to use the Assistant feature to place a call or send text messages since mid-April, including the many smart feature phones made by Nokia.

Google Assistant on devices running KaiOS may not support all of the features on Android devices, but users can turn on device features, control the volume, open apps, YouTube videos, perform Google searches and look up places on Google Maps, or even ask for trivia and jokes. However, two previously supported features, sending text messages and calling others is currently not available for KaiOS users. Instead of asking users what message they want to send, the Assistant now apologises and informs users that it “can't make calls or send messages yet,” according to the report.

The report states that a Nokia 2720 V Flip user who contacted the company was informed that the features had been removed from KaiOS. “Due to recent changes implemented by Google, feature phones running on KaiOS will experience limited functionality with Google Assistant. Calling and sending SMS messages to your contacts using Google Assistant are no longer supported. Other Google Assistant features currently work as normal,” the company told the user, according to the report.

However, while the JioPhone might also be affected by this change to KaiOS, those who are considering purchasing the upcoming JioPhone Next do not have to worry. Since the JioPhone Next is a smartphone and not a feature phone, it will run Android Go, which is a lightweight version of Android with trimmed-down features and services. Since Android Go and KaiOS are not related in any way to each other, JioPhone Next users will be unaffected by this change to KaiOS.