Gemini, Google’s generative AI assistant and rival to ChatGPT, has become integral to high-end Android phones over the past year, gradually superseding the more basic Google Assistant.
Now Google has outlined plans to sunset its original smart assistant entirely, starting with Android phones.
“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,” wrote Brian Marquardt, senior director of product management for the Gemini app, on The Keyword blog.
What does “most” mean? The footnote next to that part lists a fairly major exemption, highlighting that devices that don’t meet Gemini’s minimum system requirements will maintain access to Google Assistant for the time being. That means devices with less than 2GB RAM or those that run on Android 9 or earlier will be exempt from the forced change for now.
That’s likely only a factor for older handsets, though. Android 10 was released in 2019, and while there certainly are handsets that have less than 2GB RAM, the best cheap phones meet that requirement and then some. The $199 Motorola Moto G 2025, for example, comes with 4GB, and it runs Android 15.
Gemini beyond phones
While Google Assistant exists on other devices, there are plans afoot to switch to Gemini there, as well.
“Additionally, we’ll be upgrading tablets, cars and devices that connect to your phone, such as headphones and watches, to Gemini,” writes Marquardt. “We're also bringing a new experience, powered by Gemini, to home devices like speakers, displays and TVs,” he continued.
Plans for this switch will be revealed in the “next few months,” but for now, Google Assistant will “continue to operate on these devices.”
The upgrade for smart speakers — where Google Assistant made its debut — is the most exciting. Certain Nest smart speakers can use Gemini, but it’s currently in Public Preview and only available to Nest Aware subscribers. With Amazon preparing to unleash Alexa Plus on its Echo devices, the battle for smart home dominance could be about to get serious.
To ease worries about the transition, Marquardt outlines the myriad ways in which Gemini can now match Google Assistant’s powers on Android.
“We’re continuing to focus on improving the quality of the day-to-day Gemini experience, especially for those who have come to rely on Google Assistant,” he writes. “We’ve updated the app to support more of the most requested features, such as playing music, setting timers, or taking action from your lock screen.”
But the main point, of course, is that Gemini is far more intelligent and less rigid than Google Assistant, and it should be able to do a lot more than merely ape the old software’s most popular abilities.
“Features like Gemini Live for free-flowing, multimodal conversations and Deep Research, which transforms Gemini into a personal research assistant, are only possible with AI — and we’re just getting started,” he concludes.
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