Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google is now turning Assistant into Gemini by default.
- When you download the Assistant Android app, you get Gemini instead, complete with a different app icon.
- You’ll have to manually switch back to Assistant to continue using the digital assistant.
Google introduced the Gemini Android app recently. It gives Android users an option to switch from Google Assistant to Gemini and make it the default AI helper on their phones. However, it looks like Google is getting ready to phase out Assistant completely and replace it entirely with Gemini.
If you don’t already have the Google Assistant app on Android and download it now from the Play Store, you get Gemini AI by default. Even the app icon says Gemini instead of Google Assistant. What’s strange is that if you also downloaded the standalone Gemini Android app, you’ll now see two instances of Gemini on your apps list.
Adamya Sharma / Android Authority
When you open the Gemini app that pops up once you download Google Assistant, you can go into Settings and switch back to Assistant. This will then change the app icon and reflect the app as Assistant instead of Gemini.
A Reddit user alerted us to this weird change Google is making when they noticed that the Assistant app on their new Galaxy S24 Plus changed to Gemini automatically after a regular app update via the Play Store. The user never previously opted in to use Gemini on their phone instead of Assistant. They didn’t even have the standalone Gemini app on their phone when Assistant automatically switched over to Gemini.
With Google giving Assistant downloaders Gemini by default, it’s all but clear that the company is planning to obliterate Assistant out of existence eventually. We know Gemini will increasingly adopt more Assistant features as its availability and reach grows. This seems to be the first sign that we should be ready to bid farewell to the good ol’ Google Assistant.
