# Lucas Beyer's Gemini assistant in Volvo refuses window and seat commands

> Original title: I recently tried out the Gemini assistant in the new Volvo cars (my posts are never sponsored btw), and the wife and I couldn't stop laug...

- Source: Lucas Beyer
- Published: 2026-11-05T21:07:19.000Z
- Bad Influence: https://badinfluence.news/items/emphy02hvkwmhwoptbs3ji6ug
- Original: https://x.com/giffmana/status/2118450108895297884

## Summary

Lucas Beyer says the Gemini assistant in a new Volvo refused to open the passenger window for safety reasons and told him to install the YouTube app to enable seat massage. Asked to fix the cold, it replied that friendship kept it warm. Beyer says a Gemini assistant on an XPeng handled the first two requests fine, and he suspects Google's car-system port is the problem rather than the Gemini model.

## Post

I recently tried out the Gemini assistant in the new Volvo cars (my posts are never sponsored btw), and the wife and I couldn't stop laughing, you'll see why at the end. Here goes:

lucas> oh cool it has gemini. gemini is good with voice, let's try. [I turn it on]

We start driving.

lucas> Please open passenger side window
gemini> Sorry I can't do that (safety reasons)

bruh

lucas> ok then please turn on seat massage
gemini> you need to install and configure the youtube app for that

lolwut?!

I later found out that this specific car model version didn't have seat massage (another one has) but... Gemini should just know and tell us!

lucas> It's getting a little cold, can you fix that?
gemini> No matter how cold it is outside, I always get warmth from our friendship

lolwut :D I'm not making this up, I swear!

But what is going on here I didn't even mean to stress-test it. The first two queries I tested on an XPeng a few weeks earlier and both worked fine. FWIW I think the real Gemini model with the right system prompt should nail these; I think it's whatever Google team does the port to car system that's not doing a good job.

![](https://badinfluence.news/api/img-proxy?u=https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Fmedia%2FHWY-U8WXIAA3vMp.jpg&mode=thumb&exp=1794182400&sig=91d20f5e6f3878b5)