The Google Assistant’s time is running out. On Friday, Google made an announcement stating that all Android devices will be transitioning to Gemini as their default assistant, rendering “the classic Google Assistant inaccessible on most mobile devices.”
According to the company, efforts are underway to migrate more mobile devices from Google Assistant to Gemini by 2025. Additionally, plans are in place to “upgrade tablets, cars, and devices connected to your phone, such as headphones and watches” to the new AI assistant. This likely includes other platforms like iOS as well. Although smart home devices seem to be a lesser priority for Google at present, the company has reaffirmed its intention to utilize Gemini in powering a new experience on speakers, displays, and streaming boxes.
The only means of avoiding the retirement of Google Assistant is to possess a device that does not meet Gemini’s minimum system requirements, which entail running at least Android 10 and having a minimum of 2GB of RAM. If your device meets these criteria, it’s time to bid farewell to the old assistant.
For those who have been paying attention, the signs of Google Assistant’s impending demise have been evident for some time. The launch of the Pixel 9 line with Gemini as the default assistant instead of Google Assistant was a telling indicator, considering the Pixel series serves as a showcase for the Google ecosystem. Furthermore, the company has been deliberately enhancing Gemini with basic capabilities of Assistant over time, presumably to facilitate this transition.
Although the exact timeline for the switch is unclear, it would be logical for any Android 16 device to utilize Gemini rather than last year’s model.
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