Google's officially retiring Assistant

Google's officially retiring its Assistant tool, instead migrating users to its AI-powered Gemini.

In a blog post announcement, Google wrote: "Over the coming months, we’re upgrading more users on mobile devices from Google Assistant to Gemini; and later this year, the classic Google Assistant will no longer be accessible on most mobile devices or available for new downloads on mobile app stores."

9to5 Google reported that most people with newer phones and upgraded software will be moved to Gemini. Assistant will remain only on phones running Android 9 or earlier that don't have at least 2 GB of RAM.

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Google has recently made a concerted effort to get people to use Gemini. Last month, it pulled the tool from its search app, for instance, and redirected users to the standalone Gemini app. And it's not just phones that'll be migrating to Gemini.

Wrote Google in the blog post:

"Additionally, we’ll be upgrading tablets, cars and devices that connect to your phone, such as headphones and watches, to Gemini. We're also bringing a new experience, powered by Gemini, to home devices like speakers, displays and TVs. We look forward to sharing more details with you in the next few months. Until then, Google Assistant will continue to operate on these devices."

In short: So long Assistant, hello Gemini.