The classic Google Assistant officially retires

Google is officially retiring its Google Assistant in favor of Gemini, which will become the default assistant on Android devices moving forward.

In a blog post, Google announced that it is gradually transitioning users from Google Assistant to Gemini over the next few months. Later this year, Google Assistant will no longer be available on most Android devices and will be removed from app stores entirely.

Brian Marquardt, Senior Director of Gemini App Product Management, emphasized that the decision was driven by user feedback, highlighting the demand for an assistant that is not only more intuitive but also better integrated with the services people use daily.

As part of the transition, more devices—including tablets, cars, and smartwatches—will also be upgraded to Gemini. However, older devices that don’t meet the minimum specs (at least 2GB of RAM and Android 10) will still be able to use Google Assistant.

While the shift to Gemini is already underway, users who prefer Google Assistant can still switch back for now. But once the transition is complete later this year, the classic assistant will no longer be available.

Launched in 2016, Google Assistant has long been a staple of Android devices, but the company says it’s now shifting focus to Gemini, an AI-powered assistant built from the ground up.

According to Google, Gemini offers better language understanding and reasoning, which is key to offering a more personalized experience.

Google says the changes are part of an effort to make the digital assistant experience better and more consistent across its platform, with Gemini offering the kind of contextual understanding and integration that Google Assistant struggled to provide.