When Gemini first launched, it was positioned as an artificially intelligent alternative to Google Assistant. The best part about it was choice. If you were excited about generative capabilities, you could switch to it. But if you weren’t sold on the gimmicks, you could stick with good old Google Assistant’s basic functionalities.
That choice is being taken away for some users. Google is officially upgrading more mobile devices from Assistant to Gemini. Later this year, the classic Assistant will no longer be accessible and you won’t have a say in the matter. Google’s vision for the future is clear. All bets are on AI, whether you like it or not.
RIP in advance, Google Assistant
Many of us saw this day coming, but it’s still shocking that it’s finally here. Google Assistant always felt like one of those tools that would stick around. It was too essential to end up in Google’s graveyard. Since its launch in 2016, it has been a staple tool helping users with everything from setting reminders to controlling smart homes.
While Google isn’t completely killing it off, Assistant won’t be as commonplace as before. The mobile experience is shifting entirely to Gemini, and even though Assistant will linger on in some cars, watches, and smart home products, those too will eventually transition.
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.
Additionally, we’ll be upgrading tablets, cars and devices that connect to your phone, such as headphones and watches, to Gemini. We’re also bringing a new experience, powered by Gemini, to home devices like speakers, displays and TVs. We look forward to sharing more details with you in the next few months. Until then, Google Assistant will continue to operate on these devices.
Older and lower-end devices that don’t meet the minimum system requirements to run Gemini will still be able to use Google Assistant as usual. If you’re unhappy with the change, you can voice your concerns through Google’s feedback channels. It’s unlikely to stop the transition, but sometimes user feedback does influence feature updates.
Related: Google Might Part with Chrome
Gemini itself isn’t ready
Google Assistant was designed primarily as a voice assistant for quick, practical tasks. For example, if you said, “Hey Google, set an alarm for 7 AM”, the Assistant would instantly create the alarm without needing further input.
If you asked, “What’s the weather like today?” it would pull real-time weather data and read it aloud. It also had deep integration with smart home devices, so you could say, “Turn off the living room lights” and it would control your smart bulbs immediately.
Gemini, on the other hand, is poised as a smarter version. You not only ask what the weather is like, but you can go further to specify a day and what you should wear for comfort. Gemini would make personalized suggestions based on the data.
If you’ve never used Gemini before, it sounds dreamy. But in truth, it falls short of the assistant it’s trying to replace. It’s really more of a chatbot than a true assistant. Instead of carrying out commands, it often just explains how to do it yourself or doesn’t respond as fast. Then it misidentifies routes in navigation.
Music playback is another weak point as Gemini will only work with YouTube Music and struggles with other streaming services. These are only a few areas Google needs to refine. Hopefully, in the coming days, the company prepares updates to resolve the issues. Otherwise, we’re stuck with a broken solution.
