Back in September, Google officially wound down Google Assistant on mobile and began automatically moving Android users over to Gemini. Although the newer AI assistant offers a wealth of additional features on paper, such as the ability to respond to more complex requests and even process text and audio, not everyone is happy with the change.
A thread is picking up steam in the r/GooglePixel subreddit, posted by a Pixel owner who argues that “Geminification” has “ruined” their experience with the phone.
“For the most part the experience was great,” they begin, before explaining that it has been spoiled by Gemini, which they claim frequently fails to complete basic tasks. They highlight the inability to play music via Apple Music, set destinations in Waze, and send messages with Telegram as particular sticking points.
Far from shouting the poster down, commenters are largely echoing the frustration. Right now the highest-voted reply simply reads: “As a long-time Pixel user, I agree.”
“Gemini is the worst pile of slop Google has forced down our throats,” adds another commenter. One person even claims that, rather alarmingly, Gemini once called emergency services when asked to turn off a light.
Reading through the replies, there’s one common theme: Gemini responding unexpectedly or unreliably to queries that were easily handled by the old Google Assistant.
The sentiment isn’t universal, though, and there are some Gemini defenders speaking up.
“Seems fine to me? I use it into [sic] the car for general questions, maps (Google) and music (YouTube). It works fine for those. Maybe it’s because they’re all Google products,” reads one response.
“Gemini is better at answering general queries,” another argues.
Now we want to hear from you. How has your Gemini experience been, and how does it compare to Google Assistant? Have your say by voting in our poll, and let us know what you think in the comments!
