Does anyone else think Gemini isn’t helpful for basic stuff?

Seeking Advice
1

Here’s a simple example: I needed help with my refrigerator and didn’t want to go through the entire 50-page manual.

ChatGPT and Perplexity quickly found the manual and answered my question when I gave them the model number.

Gemini, on the other hand, started with a generic suggestion to check the manual. When I asked it to find the info for me, it said something like, "Sorry, I can’t search for personal information." After I explained that a refrigerator manual isn’t personal info, it just repeated the same answer.

This is just one example, but whether I’m asking about history, song titles, or grammar, Gemini always seems to miss the mark compared to apps like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, or Grok.

Is it just me giving bad prompts, or do others feel the same?

3

I’ve had the opposite experience. I mostly use Gemini (90%) and ChatGPT (10%), and Gemini almost always gives me what I need right away.

4

Valentine said:
I’ve had the opposite experience. I mostly use Gemini (90%) and ChatGPT (10%), and Gemini almost always gives me what I need right away.

It really depends on what you’re asking. For example, if it’s about Excel or office-related stuff, Bing does a great job with that.

5

@Aris
That’s true. Gemini seems fine with spreadsheets or anything involving numbers, but it struggles with straightforward information or tasks.

6

Valentine said:
I’ve had the opposite experience. I mostly use Gemini (90%) and ChatGPT (10%), and Gemini almost always gives me what I need right away.

Does it depend on how you’re asking? Is Gemini better for specific topics?

7

@Denny
I use it for general stuff like fixing cars, making PowerPoints, Excel formulas, science, sports, cooking, and more. It works well for those things.

8

Valentine said:
@Denny
I use it for general stuff like fixing cars, making PowerPoints, Excel formulas, science, sports, cooking, and more. It works well for those things.

Got it, thanks for explaining. I might give it a try since I’ve only used ChatGPT so far.

9

@Denny
If you get a free trial or something, definitely check it out. It works well for me most of the time.

10

Every model has its strengths and weaknesses. Perplexity’s search feature is really strong, while Gemini and ChatGPT seem less effective in that area. I use them all for different things and find Gemini great for logic-based tasks and large prompts. For specific searches, Perplexity wins. None of them are 100% reliable, though.

11

Are you using Gemini on the website or in AI Studio?

12

Sam said:
Are you using Gemini on the website or in AI Studio?

I’m using the website version (gemini.google.com). I’ve tried AI Studio and other setups, but my complaint is about the website version handling simple tasks like I mentioned.

13

@Teal
The website version isn’t great. Try Gemini 1206 or Flash 2.0 in AI Studio. They’re way better.

14

Sam said:
@Teal
The website version isn’t great. Try Gemini 1206 or Flash 2.0 in AI Studio. They’re way better.

Thanks! I tried Gemini 2.0 for the fridge question, and it nailed it. Appreciate the tip!

15

@Teal
1206 is smarter overall, while Flash is quicker and supports more features.

16

Which version of Gemini are you using?

17

Gemini has let me down so many times. I want to like it, but I don’t see the hype.

18

Gemini feels so cold and unfriendly. I usually try to bond with the AI first, but it doesn’t seem interested. I really tried!

19

I’ve noticed the same thing! Gemini seems less intuitive compared to ChatGPT or Perplexity. Maybe it’s just not optimized yet?

20

I’ve got the paid versions of both Gemini and ChatGPT. Gemini often feels overly complicated, while ChatGPT just gets straight to the point.

21

I use Gemini daily. It’s my favorite, with ChatGPT as a close second.