- Gemini will replace Google Assistant on phones this year
- Currently, the two AI apps can be run alongside each other
- Upgrades for other devices will be announced soon
It's been clear for some time that Gemini is the future of AI assistants as far as Google is concerned, and now it's official: Google Assistant is going to be disappearing from smartphones before the end of the year.
In a blog post (via 9to5Google), Google's Brian Marquardt explains: "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."
If you have a phone that doesn't meet the minimum requirements for Gemini, Google Assistant functionality "will not change at this time" – but as those requirements are at least 2GB of RAM, and Android 10 or older, most users will get the upgrade.
Thanks to its generative AI underpinnings, Gemini is much better at chatting and looking up information than Google Assistant, and it's slowly been incorporating all the other tasks that Google Assistant can do on mobile devices. The switchover is now almost done.
Smart speakers and other devices
For now, Google Assistant will continue to operate on devices such as smart speakers, smart displays, and TVs, Google says – but it's only going to be a matter of time before all these pieces of hardware also get the Gemini treatment.
As for devices that connect directly to phones – like car dashboards, tablets, headphones, and smartwatches – the implication is that a Google Gemini upgrade is more imminent than it is for Nest Hubs and Nest Minis. "We look forward to sharing more details with you in the next few months," writes Marquardt.
The blog post touches on the rapid expansion of Gemini and its capabilities: the AI bot is now available in more than 40 languages across more than 200 countries, and Google says it's been built to carry on the same mission as Google Assistant.
No doubt more upgrades to Gemini are on the way in the months ahead. "We've updated the app to support more of the most requested features, such as playing music, setting timers, or taking action from your lock screen," writes Marquardt.
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