Google has finally reached the point of no return in phasing out its long-standing voice assistant. According to foreign media reports on September 29, Google has been sending emails to users since last month, announcing that the Google Assistant on mobile devices will be discontinued; now, many Android users have reported that their phones can no longer activate the familiar voice assistant. Some users have also found that the option to switch to Google Assistant has disappeared from the account menu in the Gemini app — from the option to the service, the old assistant is being gradually erased.
This replacement was not unexpected. Google's strategy of promoting Gemini to the main position has been public knowledge, but for real users, the experience has been mixed. Many people feel that Google Assistant has always met their needs well, while Gemini still suffers from some old issues like illusions and lacks certain offline voice commands — in other words, the new assistant is smarter, but at times it is less convenient and reliable than the old one.
It is worth clarifying that this change only affects mobile devices and phone accessories: smartwatches, Android Auto car systems, and earbuds with Google Assistant are also included in the shutdown range; however, smart speakers and smart displays will continue to receive support for Google Assistant, as Google has clearly stated previously. In other words, the speaker in your living room that announces the weather does not need to change its accent for now, but the one in your pocket has already been officially taken over by Gemini.
When a voice assistant that accompanied countless Android users through their early days turns off on the phone, what Google is betting on is a future where a more powerful brain grows from the same entry point — but for those who are used to just shouting a command offline to set an alarm, this handover still has some rough edges left.
