I have used SanDisk cards for years, without issue. They are a huge manufacturer of flash memory, which is why their prices were always good. It is certainly possible and even probable that the quality has gone down. All kinds of companies lower their product’s quality and reliability to make them cheaper to increase profits.
It is unclear how long Amazon will continue to support their assistant in the future. Amazon Alexa is a “colossal failure,” on pace to lose $10 billion this year
People use exactly as you are, to control various smart devices, but that doesn’t pay for the infrastructure that makes Alexa run, and people are not using it to buy stuff from Amazon as envisioned.
Google’s products are getting worse as they are now deep into the enshitification process, and making investors happy takes precedence over users. I would welcome an improvement in Google Assistant, but it will probably manage to make things worse.
I love how Google’s original intent of simply cataloging the net has now turned them into a net nanny whose job it is to prohibit vile copyright scofflaws from infesting others with their demented thinking.
I feel like this device should also be Gluten Free.