Google is killing off Google Assistant on Android devices starting on September 4, replacing the service with Gemini. This means that voice-controlled assistant tasks – the sort of thing summoned up with a “Hey Google” – will now be routed through Gemini instead of the older service.
Gemini is undoubtedly more powerful than the older Assistant, able to hold a conversation, make suggestions, and answer complex questions in the same way as other LLM-powered AI chatbots. But it can also be less reliable, sometimes making incorrect assumptions, going off on a tangent, or forgetting it has the capability to do the task you’ve asked of it. It’s also often slower, taking time to “think” about the request, regardless of how complex it is.
Assistant, on the other hand, was less powerful but more reliable. I use Assistant myself, but mostly for simple tasks like setting a kitchen timer, controlling lights, and shutting off alarms. Not exactly the kind of things that need the power of an LLM to get done.
A Reddit thread discussing the news is filled with users lamenting the change.
“Wanted to call my father while I was driving, so I told Gemini to call him. It gave me the definition of the word “father” instead of calling him,” said one user. “Went back to Google Assistant immediately. Please Google, don’t force me to switch to Gemini… I hate it.”
“Gemini makes me unlock the phone to change the temperature. It’s useless,” said another.
Google announced the plan to sunset Assistant last year, but things were pushed back as users found Gemini not entirely capable of filling Assistant’s shoes. During this time, if Gemini wasn’t able to handle a particular request, it would default back to Assistant to get the job done. Users could also opt-out of Gemini and stick to the older program if they wanted.
After September 4, that won’t be an option anymore.
The change currently only applies to Android devices and the accessories that connect to them, like Wear OS watches, headphones, and cars with Android Auto. Google Home speakers and smart devices, as well as Google TVs and cars with Google will retain access to Google Assistant for now, though Gemini is already available on most of those devices as well, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Assistant support is ultimately discontinued there too.
Assistant now joins the long list of products and services that Google has killed off over the years. Meanwhile, AI continues to make gaming worse, driving up hardware prices and leading us to a world where consoles are prohibitively expensive. But hey, at least Google can juice those Gemini user numbers a bit more.
Bo Moore is IGN’s Senior Manager of Tech. You can find him online @usebomswisely.
