Android Users Face Major Change Starting in September

Google has officially confirmed that starting September 4, it will begin the phased shutdown of the Google Assistant voice assistant, replacing it with the new AI assistant Gemini. The transition will be gradual and take several weeks. After installing the update, it will be impossible to return to Assistant. The voice command "Hey Google" and long-pressing the power button will only launch Gemini. The update will affect smartphones, tablets, Wear OS smartwatches, wireless headphones, and cars with Android Auto. Some devices, such as Google TV, Google Home smart speakers, smart displays, and cars with Google built-in, will retain Assistant for now, but will later also switch to Gemini.

Google has officially confirmed that starting September 4, it will begin the phased shutdown of the Google Assistant voice assistant, replacing it with the new AI assistant Gemini. The transition will be gradual and take several weeks. After installing the update, it will be impossible to return to Assistant. The voice command "Hey Google" and long-pressing the power button will only launch Gemini. The company explains that Gemini better understands natural speech and performs more complex tasks thanks to AI. The update will affect smartphones, tablets, Wear OS smartwatches, wireless headphones, and cars with Android Auto. Some devices, such as Google TV, Google Home smart speakers, smart displays, and cars with Google built-in, will retain Assistant for now, but will later also switch to Gemini. For devices that do not meet the requirements and in countries where Gemini is unavailable, Assistant will continue to work temporarily, but the final shutdown is inevitable.