The Vanishing Act: Say Goodbye to Google Assistant on Your Phone

Since the emergence of Gemini, Google Assistant’s days have been numbered, and now, its time has come to an end. Google recently announced that access to Assistant on Android phones, tablets, and paired devices such as smartwatches or headphones will be removed starting September 4th.

The announcement was made through an email sent to some users, as reported by 9to5Google and shared on Reddit. The Verge has reached out to Google for confirmation of the email’s accuracy and will update the story accordingly.

According to the email, Google stated, “We will begin removing access to Google Assistant starting on 4 September,” and added that the process may take a few weeks to complete. Once access is revoked, users will no longer be able to use or switch back to Google Assistant on their devices.

Google mentioned that in regions where Gemini is available and for devices that meet the minimum requirements, only the AI-enabled assistant will be accessible. Paired devices like Wear OS smartwatches, headphones, and cars with Android Auto will also lose access to Google Assistant, except for cars with Google built-in, which will retain access for now. Google Home and Google TV devices will not be affected by this change, ensuring Assistant’s presence in a few platforms beyond September.

Initially, Google had planned to end access to Assistant for “most mobile devices” by 2025, but the shutdown has been expedited to this year. It appears that the reprieve for Assistant has come to an end, and it is now just weeks away from joining the Google Graveyard.