What you need to know
- Google states in an update that it’s delaying its original plans to sunset the Assistant across devices by the end of this year.
- The post states that it will “adjust” its timeline to provide a “seamless transition” from the Assistant to Gemini on mobile devices.
- Google says this new transition will take place in 2026, which marks ten years since the Assistant first arrived.
- In March, Google announced its original end of 2025 goal for the Assistant’s conclusion, stating it will vanish from devices and the Play Store.
Believe it or not, Google still has two AI helpers rolling around, but the company’s not quite ready to let go of the old Assistant.
In a Gemini community post, Google shared an update regarding its previously set timeline regarding the conclusion of the old Assistant (via Android Authority). The company states that the Assistant will live for a little while longer on mobile devices. The post reads, “We’re adjusting our previously announced timeline to make sure we deliver a seamless transition.”
What Google is referencing here is its original intent to sunset the Assistant on Android devices by the end of 2025. We’re a couple of weeks off that, and it’s forcing Google to take another look.
The company reiterated its original plans to “upgrade the Assistant experience to Gemini on most mobile devices” in its update today (Dec 19). Google didn’t state the cause behind why it wants to delay this transition. What we’re certain of is that Google still plans to push the Assistant out for good in favor of Gemini. It says “will continue our work” to phase out the older digital assistant for the new age Gemini in 2026.
Google hasn’t given a concrete timeframe just yet; however, it adds that it will provide more information “in the coming months.”
Here for a while longer
We were preparing to say goodbye to the Assistant officially since Google broke the news earlier this year. It was starting to look like the beginning of “Hey Gemini” (all the time), as Google said the old Assistant was going to disappear from mobile devices and the Play Store. Wrapped in this update, Google said that moving users from the Assistant to Gemini would begin “offering a new kind of help only possible with the power of AI.”
Personalization was another major aspect for Gemini in this move. It’s not like we haven’t had an influx of Gemini updates in 2025, but this change would cement its position across Android.
There will no longer be a choice of deciding between the two digital assistants in this change. Google said that, by the end of 2025, users will be left with Gemini only. However, as we’ve seen today, that’s getting pushed into 2026. A year that marks a decade since the Assistant has been in our digital lives.
Google teased that it was preparing a major upgrade from the Assistant to Gemini in more places than just phones, like home devices, watches, and more. Funnily enough, we’ve seen this with Gemini for Home and Gemini’s Pixel Watch update.
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