Google Assistant finally has a shutdown date, and it’s not far away

Google Assistant’s swan song finally has an end date.

Google has said it will begin discontinuing the voice assistant on eligible mobile devices on September 4, 2026, according to an email shared on Reddit.

Google Assistant is going away on mobile devices, starting 4 September
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The transition is expected to take several weeks, so Assistant won’t vanish from every device at once. Once the change reaches an eligible Android device, Gemini will replace Google Assistant with no option to switch back.

Now, the shutdown will cover any Android phone that meets the minimum specs to run Gemini, and only in regions where the newer chatbot is available. Google has previously said that a legacy version of Assistant will remain on devices running Android 9 or less, and with less than 2GB of RAM.

However, Google named Wear OS watches, compatible headphones, and cars using Android Auto projected through a mobile device. Android Assistant will remain on cars with Google built-in. Google TV devices, smart speakers, and smart displays will be exempt for now, with Google noting that it will share the migration for those devices at a later date.

The good news is users won’t need to change a setting or install anything to trigger the move; instead, the migration will happen automatically. Those familiar with Assistant will notice that Gemini will take over all the familiar shortcuts.

Source: u/KxgOEjg7GcQqQsK on r/Google Via: Digital Trends