How to Make Gemini Your Default Assistant on Android
Google is pushing Gemini very hard right now, and one of the ways to achieve this is by integrating artificial intelligence with your smartphone. On Android phones, you can install Gemini as a replacement for Google Assistant, allowing you to directly access the chatbot by simply saying, “Hey Google.” Unfortunately, using Gemini as a replacement for your assistant comes with a few caveats.
How to Use Gemini as a Google Assistant Replacement
Google appears to be already working on replacing Assistant with Gemini , so it makes sense to go ahead and get used to things before they change forever. To use Gemini as a Google Assistant replacement, all you need to do is download the Gemini app and log in. You will then be asked if you want to use Gemini instead of Assistant. Select the confirm option and it will automatically set everything up for you.
If you somehow missed this part or just want to do it manually, you can change the default assistant app at any time by going to Settings > Apps > Default Apps > Digital Assistant App. Just change it to Gemini and you’re done. Alternatively, if you don’t like using Gemini as an Assistant replacement, simply follow the same steps and select the Google app as your default Assistant app.
What features does Gemini give you?
The most notable reason you might want to use Gemini is that it offers a much more powerful AI system than Google Assistant. This means you can ask it to generate images, messages, and emails directly from the Home button or by saying “Hey Google.”
When Gemini is set up as your Google Assistant, it gives you access to all the Gemini features you already have in your browser, but right through your phone. This can be convenient, but as I noted above, it has some disadvantages.
In particular, Gemini is currently not fully defined in how it interacts with other applications. This makes it difficult to set alarms and other things with Gemini since it doesn’t have the necessary systems for all of that. It’s likely that this will change in the future, especially since Google is pushing for Gemini to replace Google Assistant entirely. But for now, this is something to be aware of.
Not sure about Gemini? You can see how Gemini compares to ChatGPT for a closer look at Google’s AI chatbot.