Summary
- Google is officially winding down Google Assistant, with plans to upgrade most mobile devices to Gemini by the end of the year. Older devices with limited resources may retain access to Assistant.
- The focus is shifting from basic voice commands to a more conversational, AI-driven interaction, with features like multimodal conversations and advanced research capabilities not in the scope of Google Asistant.
- Tablets, cars, connected devices, and home devices like speakers and TVs will also be upgraded to Gemini, though the rollout for home devices may occur later.
Google’s push for Gemini over the past year has been clear as day, with Google Assistant‘s eventual retirement being a question of when, not if. The writing has been on the wall, with Google now officially starting to wind down the 2016-released assistant.
After serving our smartphones, tablets, smart home gadgets, cars, and TVs for almost a decade, Google Assistant will join countless other discontinued products and services in Google’s graveyard later this year.
Have you switched from Google Assistant to Google Gemini yet?
Gemini is here in full force, and it finally offers a lot of the functionality of Google Assistant while still lacking some of the smoothness Assistant users have come to expect. This creates a situation where many are still using Google Assistant instead of switching over to Gemini. For me, I made the switch soon after Gemini was introduced, but I also never used Google Assistant, so the switch was painless for me. But what about you? Have you made the switch? Was it painful, or do you prefer Gemini? Hit the comments to let us know, as I have a sneaking suspicion there are more holdouts than expected.
The tech giant announced the development in a surprise blog post today, clearly highlighting its intentions to move towards generative AI for assistant interactions.
According to Google, millions have already made the switch from Google Assistant to Gemini, and it wants to bring the generative AI experience to many more users. As a result, it will begin automatically “upgrading” mobile devices from Google Assistant to Gemini.
“We believe an assistant should be personal to you, and aware of the world around you. It should be able to interact with the apps and services you already use. And it should make you more productive, more creative and a bit more curious,” wrote Google, essentially kicking Google Assistant while it’s already down.
Timeline remains vague
Are you ready to say “Hey Gemini”?
It’s looking like Google is gearing up to change the hotword to trigger Gemini AI to “Hey Gemini,” which makes sense and almost feels a bit more personal and human compared to “Hey Google.” So I like the idea. I hope we switch soon. But what about you? Are you ready to say “Hey Gemini,” or do you prefer the old way of saying “Hey Google”?
The tech giant didn’t share an exact date, month, or quarter for the change, but it did say that Google Assistant won’t be accessible on most mobile devices later this year. Additionally, it won’t be available for new downloads either.
Elsewhere, while not evident at first, it looks like Google will make exceptions for devices with less than 2GB of RAM running Android 9 or earlier. These devices will retain access to Google Assistant, at least for the foreseeable future.
The change isn’t limited to mobile devices either. “We’ll be upgrading tablets, cars and devices that connect to your phone, such as headphones and watches, to Gemini,” wrote Google, adding that home devices like speakers, displays, and TVs will be upgraded to Gemini too — potentially at a later date. Until then, Google Assistant will continue functioning as usual.
Additional details to follow in the coming months.
Thanks: Moshe!
