Gemini to take over from Google Assistant on Android phones in late 2025
More than a year after its debut and several updates, Gemini is ready to step in for Google Assistant on Android phones by late 2025. This change comes after recent model upgrades and the rollout of Deep Research to everyone.
Google shared today that the “old-school Google Assistant will soon disappear from most phones.” This shift will happen “later this year,” and users will get a clear heads-up with an exact date. In the next few months, people still using Assistant will notice a pop-up encouraging them to switch.
There’s a small catch: phones running Android 9 or older with less than 2 GB of RAM won’t switch. Those devices will keep the current Assistant setup. This move follows new Android phones—like Pixel, Samsung, OnePlus, and Motorola—rolling out over the past year with Gemini as the go-to helper. Google says “tons of users have already jumped on board.”
When Gemini first arrived in February 2024, it didn’t have all the phone assistant tricks up its sleeve, so Google made it easy to switch back to Assistant. Since then, the Gemini app has added handy features, like working from the lock screen and managing phone tasks with a Utilities option.
Before saying goodbye to Assistant, Google is “working hard to make Gemini better every day, especially for fans of the classic Assistant experience.” Looking back, Google pointed out how Assistant’s voice and language tech, launched in 2016, made getting help feel more natural. Now, almost ten years later, generative AI is shaking things up again, changing how we use gadgets.
Today, Google shared its big plans for Gemini, including video and screen-sharing features powered by Astra, coming this month. They said, “We want an assistant that feels personal, knows what’s happening around you, works with your apps, and helps you get more done while sparking your creativity and curiosity.”
Plus, Gemini is expanding to watches, cars, tablets, and headphones. It’s already on Pixel Buds and showing up on Wear OS. Google also teased a “fresh Gemini-powered experience” for speakers, displays, and TVs, with more news soon. It’s being tested on Nest Mini and Audio, and TVs got a sneak peek in January.