According to The Verge, Google is delaying its plan to replace Google Assistant with its newer Gemini AI on Android devices. The company announced it will now continue its work to upgrade Assistant users to Gemini on mobile devices “into 2026.” This pushes back the original timeline, which aimed to complete the switch by the end of 2025. Google states the adjustment is to ensure a “seamless transition.” Once complete, users on devices that meet Gemini’s minimum requirements will lose access to the Google Assistant app entirely. The change follows Google’s earlier rollout of Gemini to Wear OS, Android Auto, and smart home devices.
Why The Delay Matters
Here’s the thing: swapping out a core system-level service like an assistant is incredibly tricky. It’s not just about installing a new app. Assistant is baked into Android’s fabric—it handles alarms, home controls, calls, and basic queries with a reliability that’s taken for granted. Google basically admitted the original deadline was too aggressive. They’re realizing that forcing a clunky transition would backfire, making users hate Gemini before they even give it a real shot. So, a delay is the smarter move, even if it makes them look a bit behind their own schedule.
The Tricky Balance Act
And this isn’t just about technical integration. There’s a huge user trust element at play. Google has been slowly giving Gemini more Assistant-like powers, like making calls and setting timers, even for users who opt out of having their data used for AI training. That’s a critical feature to replicate. People need to feel that the new AI-powered assistant can do all the old, boring, essential stuff perfectly before they’ll care about its fancy new brainstorming features. If your “smarter” AI can’t reliably set a pizza timer, what’s the point? This delay is Google buying time to nail that foundational reliability.
What Happens Next
Look, the writing is on the wall. Assistant’s fate is sealed, and Google is clearly all-in on Gemini as its unified AI future. The phased rollout to other devices like watches and cars shows the strategy. But the phone is the center of everyone’s digital life. Getting it wrong there would be a disaster. So, for the next year or so, we’ll likely see a messy coexistence. You’ll have both apps, maybe some features slowly migrating over, and probably a fair bit of confusion. But the endgame is clear: one day, you’ll ask your phone something and Gemini, not Assistant, will answer. Let’s just hope it’s actually ready when that day finally comes in 2026. You can read Google’s official update on the timeline here.
