Google is formally killing one other standard product

After replacing the familiar Google Assistant with Gemini AI on many Android devices, Google has decided to kill the former.

Google Assistant was announced in 2016 and while Google believes it is a capable assistant, the company has been hearing from people that they want a more personalized companion that can help them get more done.

Gemini is an AI assistant and has been built from scratch with advanced language understanding and reasoning. Google has published a blog post today saying that Google Assistant is being retired to make Gemini the only option so that you can get the kind of help “only possible with the power of AI.”

Millions of people have already made the switch from Google Assistant to Gemini, and they are telling us how helpful the new, AI-powered features are in their daily lives. So we want to update you on how we’ll bring this enhanced experience to as many people as possible.Over the coming months, we’re upgrading more users on mobile devices from Google Assistant to Gemini; and later this year, the classic Google Assistant will no longer be accessible on most mobile devices or available for new downloads on mobile app stores.

Brian Marquardt, Senior Director, Gemini app Product Management, March 2025

Google reiterates that an assistant should have contextual awareness and be uniquely helpful to you. It should have no problem interacting with the apps and services you use. Google Assistant might not be up to the challenge. This is not a sudden change. Google says that millions of people have already started using Gemini instead of Google Assistant and the feedback it has received is positive. That’s why, it wants more people to have an enhanced experience instead of sticking with Google Assistant.

The company will upgrade more phones from Google Assistant to Gemini over the coming months. Right now, you have the liberty of switching back to Google Assistant, but later this year, that will cease to be an option. This means Google Assistant will no longer be accessible.

Other devices, such as tablets, cars, and watches will also be upgraded to Gemini. Gemini-powered experiences will also make their way to home devices.

Devices that don’t meet the minimum requirements (at least 2 GB of RAM or more and running Android 10 and up) to run Gemini will continue to have access to Google Assistant.

Since introducing the Gemini app last year, Google has improved it in several ways and added features that people loved about Google Assistant. This should theoretically make the transition smooth.

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