Here’s Why (and When) Gemini Will Replace Google Assistant
When it comes to digital assistants , especially on mobile devices, most people think of two: Siri and Google Assistant. (Sorry, Bixby.) Just as Siri is Apple in every way, Google Assistant is synonymous with Android to me (even though you can download Google Assistant on an iPhone).
But it looks like Google Assistant’s time is coming to an end, faster than you think. Google announced in a blog post Friday that the company will migrate more users from Google Assistant to Gemini “in the coming months” before removing its iconic assistant from most devices later this year. This includes not only the built-in assistant on most Android devices, but also downloads from app stores, so iPhone users won’t be able to download Google Assistant either.
Why the sudden retirement party for the Android version of Siri? Well, there’s a new player in town, whether he’s ready for prime time or not.
Goodbye Google Assistant
In case you missed it, Google is betting on Gemini , the company’s generative artificial intelligence assistant. Gemini, formerly Bard , is both a generative AI model , like OpenAI’s GPT models, and an assistant, like ChatGPT. This way, Google can offer Gemini as a tool that users can rely on to perform traditional assistant tasks, while regularly updating it with the company’s latest AI models. Like other big tech companies, Google regularly introduces new artificial intelligence models, which means Gemini is constantly receiving updates. Google Assistant, on the other hand, does not.
If you’re not interested in generative AI or don’t think Gemini is that reliable, then the latest announcement may be disappointing. But this isn’t necessarily a surprise. Google has long made it clear that this is the plan. Since its launch, Google has started making Gemini available to more users, either as a built-in Android solution or as a standalone app, encouraging users to try it out through Google Assistant. In fact, the company quickly began allowing Android users to replace Google Assistant with Gemini , even when Gemini lacked basic Assistant features like setting alarms or calendar integration. If you want a full-fledged assistant, Google Assistant is still a good option.
Of course, this won’t last forever. Google continued to expand Gemini’s capabilities while actively limiting its legacy Assistant. The company began removing Google Assistant features over a year ago and continues to do so to this day .
But why replace Google Assistant with Gemini?
According to Google, Gemini is simply the best all-around solution. It now offers previously missing assistant features like playing song requests and setting timers, as well as the company’s latest AI features like Gemini Live , which gives Gemini access to your camera to answer questions about your surroundings, and Deep Research , which uses a “reasoning” model to “think through” every step of a problem before solving it. The service has expanded to support over 40 languages in over 200 countries, so it’s now widely available – just like Google Assistant once was.
In theory, this makes sense: new technologies replace old ones, and Gemini ends up being the new technology in the game. The problem is that there are still a lot of problems with generative artificial intelligence that companies like Google are struggling to fix. Although Google has added assistant features to Gemini, users continue to report that the bot has problems with basic tasks , such as opening certain apps, setting reminders, or changing smart lights to a certain color.
The only devices that won’t make the transition are those that don’t qualify for Gemini devices , including devices with less than 2GB of RAM and running Android 9 or earlier. If you want to continue using Google Assistant in 2026, you’ll need a very old Android.