The big change involving the Google Assistant and Gemini happens soon. Users will not be able to switch back.
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Google will begin removing the Google Assistant from Android phones and connected devices on September 4, forcing remaining users onto Gemini even though its replacement still cannot perform every Assistant function.
The phaseout will affect Android phones and tablets, Wear OS watches, headphones, earbuds, and vehicles using phone-projected Android Auto, according to an email Google sent users Tuesday. The process could take several weeks. “Once availability is removed, you will no longer be able to use or switch back to Google Assistant,” the email says.
The cutoff ends the choice Google has offered since Gemini launched: use the newer AI or return to Assistant when it falls short.
Brian Marquardt, Google’s senior director of product management for the Gemini app, called generative AI a new “platform shift” when he announced the migration in March 2025. At the time, he said millions of people had already switched voluntarily from Assistant to Gemini. Google is now removing the voluntary part.
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Gemini reached 950 million monthly active users during the second quarter, more than doubling from 450 million a year earlier, while daily use tripled. By January 2020, Google said Assistant helped more than 500 million people each month across devices. Google has not disclosed how many people still use it.
Assistant is now poised to join Google’s crowded product graveyard, chronicled by the independent website Killed by Google, alongside products including Stadia, Hangouts, Google Podcasts, and Google Domains.
Gemini’s missing features
For holdouts, the concern is whether Gemini will handle the commands they already rely on as consistently as Assistant. Gemini supports calls, messages, routines, navigation, and many device controls, but some services and actions remain unavailable or work differently.
