Over the last year and change, Google has been slowly lopping off parts of Google Assistant and replacing them with Gemini. Now, it appears Assistant has an official end date.
As reported by 9to5Google, an announcement email has apparently been sent to some users. A full version of the email popped up in the r/google subreddit.
"Google Assistant on your mobile device is being discontinued, and Gemini - our next-generation AI-powered assistant - is now the Assistant experience on Android," the email starts.
It goes on to reveal that Assistant will be replaced on mobile devices and Wear OS devices starting on September 4.
“We will begin removing access to Google Assistant starting on September 4,” Google states in the email, “and expect that this process may take a few weeks to reach everyone. Once availability is removed, you will no longer be able to use or switch back to Google Assistant on your phone, tablet or paired devices.”
Per the announcement, that affects Android phones, watches and tablets. However, Assistant should still be available on Google TV and isn't fully dead on Google Home.
The slow decline
The great Gemini migration started in earnest last summer when Google announced that the new AI chatbot would replace Google Assistant in Google Home and smart home devices like the Google Nest Hub. That shift didn't really kick off until October of 2025.
It really started in March of 2025 when various features like Live Translation in Interpreter mode, the ability to share photos via voice commands and birthday reminder notifications were axed in Nest devices. They came back with Gemini.
In the same month, Google announced plans to replace Assistant with Gemini, though a specific timeline wasn't presented.
More recently, Google Assistant was kicked off Android Auto in favor of Gemini. The rollout was announced last year, but didn't hit everyone until this summer.
Meanwhile, Gemini has been steadily improving over the last year, making it more capable of handling everything from deep work to Android Auto and exploring the world.
What next
If you've been using Google Assistant and not Gemini, you'll need to get Gemini when you can. If it doesn't come pre-installed, you can get it from the Google Play Store. Gemini is more than just a voice assistant, as it encompasses most of Google's AI ventures, from image generation to search and chatbot prompts.
Once you've installed Gemini, it will have a guide for replacing Google Assistant as the default AI. Your Google Account should cross-reference both apps, so the switch should be quick.
Unlike Gemini, Assistant doesn't really have a true chat archive. You can find your interactions via the Web & App Activity page in your Google account.
Old Google Assistant commands will still work with Gemini using the "Hey Google" prompt. The difference is that Gemini conversations will sync across your devices.
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