Google stops Assistant on Android, forces switch to Gemini

Google Assistant held on Android devices far longer than anyone expected.

Tomorrow, or more precisely on 4 September, it ends.

Google began sending emails to users and announced it is removing the voice assistant from phones, tablets, Wear OS watches and compatible accessories, and moving all traffic to the Gemini chatbot. The change will roll out over several weeks until every eligible device no longer supports Google Assistant. After the transition there will be no way to activate Google Assistant on those devices.

Who is left out of the transition

Phones still running Android 9 or earlier, as well as devices with less than 2 GB of RAM, will retain a basic version of Google Assistant. The rationale is that Gemini requires hardware these devices lack, so pushing it would be pointless. Vehicles with Google Built-in will continue using Google Assistant, but users who connect their phone via Android Auto will lose the assistant. Google TV, Google Home devices and smart displays are not affected at this stage.

What users must do manually

Anyone who wants Gemini and isn’t already using it must download the Gemini app from the Play Store and launch it; the switch is not automatic. Users who do not take this step will be left without either the new chatbot or the removed Google Assistant, creating a functional gap.

Context for the move

The announcement comes a few days before Google’s Pixel event on 12 August, where a new Pixel generation is expected to be unveiled. The timing suggests Google wants the new devices to ship with Gemini pre-installed while the migration from Google Assistant is underway. Developers who built automations or voice commands that rely on Google Assistant will need to test manually which functions break and which migrate to Gemini, as Google has not released a comprehensive mapping of old commands to new ones.