Don’t let the phone case slam you on your way out, Assistant.
Google‘s transition from Assistant to Gemini marks a significant evolution in the company’s AI strategy, creating disruption for millions of users while promising more advanced capabilities. This shift represents a fundamental reimagining of Google’s voice assistant technology, forcing users to adapt to new features and limitations while potentially leaving some older devices without support. Understanding what’s changing and how it affects different devices is crucial for the millions who rely on Google’s voice assistant technology daily.
The big picture: Google is replacing its nine-year-old Assistant with Gemini, an AI-powered chatbot built on large language models that promises more conversational and personalized interactions.
- The transition is already underway on smartphones and will extend to smart speakers, TVs, home devices, wearables, and cars in the coming months.
- By the end of 2025, Google Assistant will no longer be accessible on most mobile devices or available for new downloads on mobile app stores.
Key details: Gemini represents a substantial capability upgrade over Google Assistant, leveraging advanced AI to perform more complex tasks and deliver more personalized responses.
- The new AI assistant can engage in more natural conversations while handling challenging tasks that the previous Assistant couldn’t manage.
- Google’s approach follows the industry trend of replacing older voice assistants with more sophisticated AI-powered alternatives.
What you’ll lose: Google has already discontinued 22 Google Assistant features since last year, with more functionality expected to disappear during the transition.
- Cookbook/recipe functions and media alarms that let users wake up to music have already been removed.
- Recently discontinued features include Interpreter mode for live translations and Family Bell announcements for setting personalized reminders.
Device compatibility: Not all devices will be able to use Gemini, creating a potential functionality gap for millions of users.
- Phones and tablets require minimum specifications including 2GB RAM and Android 10 or iOS 16 or higher to run Gemini.
- Android Go devices aren’t supported by the new assistant.
- Smart speakers, displays, and TVs will continue using Google Assistant for now, but Google plans to transition these devices to Gemini in the coming months.
Why this matters: The shift to Gemini represents Google’s competitive response to advances in AI assistants, but creates disruption for users who rely on specific Google Assistant features that are being discontinued.
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