Google Assistant Just Lost Seven More Features
It’s been clear for some time that the Gemini AI app will replace Google Assistant once it has mastered all the necessary tricks and has all the necessary connectivity to other apps. Google is currently in the process of actively removing features available in Google Assistant before shutting it down.
According to Google’s official support document (as spotted by 9to5Google ), seven more Google Assistant features have recently been added to Android devices, as well as Nest smart speakers and displays. These deactivated features add to the many other features that were removed in the past year.
On smart displays, you can no longer use your voice and Google Assistant to favorite, share, or ask where and when your photos were taken, or access photo frame settings. Now you will need to go to Google Photos or the options panel on your smart display to get this information.
Another Google Assistant feature that will disappear on all devices is Translator mode, where you can translate a conversation in real time. It’s still available in the Google Translate app, although you can’t do it with Gemini yet.
As for Google Assistant programs, you can no longer receive birthday reminders as part of the program. Google is also removing Family Bell’s daily updates and announcements from Google Assistant, instead directing users to Routines. And finally, Google Assistant is being removed from car accessories that work via Bluetooth or the AUX jack.
Google says this is all part of “prioritizing the experiences you love and investing in core technology to make them even better” while removing “underused features,” but given that we just got the official announcement that Google Assistant will be replaced by Gemini on phones before the end of 2025, there won’t be much investment in the legacy AI app from then on.
If your phone meets the minimum requirements of 2GB RAM and Android 10 or later, Google Assistant will be disabled in the coming months and you’ll be offered Google Gemini instead (which has already replaced Google Assistant on newer phones like the Google Pixel 9 ).
Google also says that new Gemini-powered experiences will be coming to other devices, including smart speakers and TVs, over the “next few months.” Switching to these other gadgets may take longer, but it will happen eventually – and it probably makes sense to start using Gemini as often as possible, where possible.
Google still has a lot of maintenance work to do: Routines, for example, allow you to group multiple actions with a single Google Assistant voice command, and there’s no sign of that functionality coming to Gemini yet. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if more Google Assistant features are disabled in the coming months.