- We're saying goodbye to Google Assistant on more devices
- September 4 is the cut-off point for Android and Wear OS
- The process of switching over to Gemini is pretty seamless
Google Assistant had a good run — it made its debut in May 2016 as part of the Allo app (remember that?) — but Gemini is very much the future when it comes to Google-made AI helpers, and now we finally know when Google Assistant will stop working on Android phones and Wear OS wearables.
As per emails sent out to some Google Assistant users (via 9to5Google), the Android and Wear OS shutdown will begin on Friday, September 4. From that point, it may take a few weeks to reach every user and every device.
It means you won't be able to use Google Assistant at all on Android phones, tablets, and paired wearables. This will apply to Android Auto too, though vehicles with Google built-in, Google Assistant will carry on functioning for a little longer.
The cut-off point was originally scheduled for sometime last year, before being extended, but it now looks as though this is final. Google has been busy making Gemini the default choice on a multitude of gadgets in recent months, including smart home devices and Google TV streamers.
What to do next
If you're still using Google Assistant on Android or Wear OS, you need to move over to Gemini at your earliest opportunity. If it didn't already come preinstalled on your device, you can get it from the Google Play Store. A whole new world of AI awaits, covering everything from basic phone commands to image creation.
When you're setting up Gemini, it will guide you through the process of replacing Google Assistant as the default on-board AI. As you're using the same Google account for both apps, the switch should be pretty seamless.
Google Assistant doesn't really keep a chat archive, so there's nothing to sync over in terms of conversations. If you want to see your old Google Assistant interactions, they'll still be available via the Web & App Activity page in your Google account.
You can carry on using the old Google Assistant commands with Gemini, including the "hey Google" alert phrase that gets the AI to listen for instructions. Everything should work as before — though there have been some issues along the way — and your Gemini conversations will be synced between devices by default.
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