Background:

Senior and visually impaired phone users are unable to use touch-screen based smartphones. They rely on old style feature phones with physical keypad and tactile feedback. Modern feature phones use KaiOS to provide smartphone like features on such feature phones.

Google Assistant on KaiOS phones supported call and text by voice. This feature made it easy for seniors and visually impaired phone users to dial and text any contact from their phonebook.

The Problem

This feature has been silently removed by Google from the KaiOS phones. This leaves millions of such users without the ability to call and text anyone from their contact list.

The Plea:

To Google,

You made our always connected, modern world a little more inclusive for our seniors and visually impaired by including support for Assistant on feature phones with KaiOS. Please bring back this important feature and thus, the smiles on their wrinkled faces!

To Kai OS Technologies,

Please bring back this feature to your KaiOS phones. We invested your devices because of the advertised features which benefited seniors and visually impaired users. It's unfair to downgrade a feature after your customers have purchased your products.