Google’s Gemini assistant will officially replace the company’s classic Google Assistant on most phones later this year. Google announced the change in a blog post Friday, and revealed that the change will also encompass devices like tablets, headphones and watches that use the Google Assistant.
Many Android phones have been offering a choice between the newer AI-powered assistant and the original one that’s been on phones since 2016, and Google says that the option to choose between the two will eventually be sunset when Gemini becomes the default assistant on mobile. Google’s Senior Director of Product Management for the Gemini App, Brian Marquardt, said as devices make the change the original Google Assistant will no longer be available as a downloadable app.
“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,” Marquardt said.
The blog post specifies that less-powerful devices that do not meet the minimum specifications for powering Gemini will continue “at this time” to use the Google Assistant. That will likely be phones that are running Android 9 and earlier, along with devices that have less than 2GB of memory.
Smart home devices like speakers, displays and Google TV will also get a “new experience” powered by Gemini, but Google did not offer further details on what that will look like. Until then, these devices will continue to function as-is with Google Assistant.
Until Google brings Gemini to its smart devices, they will continue to use Google Assistant.
The transition isn’t a surprise, as Google has made its Gemini AI assistant the centerpiece of many of the company’s announcements. This has included several new Gemini demos at Mobile World Congress earlier this month, and giving Gemini — and not Assistant — a particular focus at last year’s Google I/O.
The Google Assistant has otherwise been a focal point for many of the company’s devices for the better part of the last decade. After debuting in the short-lived Google Allo texting app, the Assistant became the default on Android phones, available on iOS through a mobile app and the selling-point for a variety of smart home speakers starting with 2016’s Google Home. While many of these devices and services (except for Allo) will continue to function, Google’s made clear that the AI-powered Gemini will be the primary way of using them.
Read more: Gemini’s chatbot will reference your search history to personalize results.
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