The end of Google Assistant is in sight.Starting on September 3, 2026, Google Assistant will be discontinued on some devices.While the rollout will happen over several weeks, if you use Google Assistant, there are some things you should do before Google Assistant completely disappears.
Check which of your devices will make the jump to Gemini Change is coming, but not every device loses Google Assistant in September Close The first thing to do is figure out which of your devices will actually be losing Google Assistant.Just to make things nice and confusing, not every device that can run Google Assistant will lose access to it in September.You may end up with a situation where some devices can run Gemini only while others still have Google Assistant available.
The main focus of the switch in September is Android devices.Once the transition happens, Google Assistant will no longer be available on your Android phone or tablet.Gemini will become the sole Google voice assistant on these devices.
The change will also affect some devices that pair with your Android phone or tablet.This includes Wear OS watches, Gemini-compatible headphones and earbuds, and cars that run Android Auto from your phone.Older Google Home and Google Nest smart speakers will keep Google Assistant beyond September, as will other smart speakers or smart displays that can use Google Assistant.
Cars that have Google built in rather than running from a connected phone will also keep Google Assistant for now.It's worth figuring out which of your devices will be affected, so you can prepare those that are about to lose Google Assistant imminently.Even if your devices are keeping Google Assistant for now, that may not be the case in the future.
Related Gemini is failing at a basic Android task my phone nailed back in 2014 Don’t rely on Gemini to save your parking spot.Posts 5 By Joe Fedewa Test the Google Assistant commands you actually use Gemini can't do everything Google Assistant can One of the biggest complaints people have about this enforced change is that Gemini can't always do everything that Google Assistant can.Google explicitly states that features such as Interpreter mode and some media provider controls that are available in Google Assistant won't work in Gemini.
The company's advice to switch to Google Assistant for these unsupported features won't be that helpful come September.Try using Google Assistant as you normally do for a couple of days and note down all the commands and features that you use.Switch to Gemini and test out the same commands.
If you find any that won't work with Gemini, you have time to try to figure out an alternative way to access these features before Google Assistant is gone forever.Test and rebuild any important routines before you're forced to switch Routines in Gemini may not work as you expect If you use routines in Google Assistant, you may still be able to start these routines using Gemini, as long as you've connected Google Home to Gemini.However, not every routine that worked in Google Assistant will work in Gemini.
Google states that some routine triggers aren't supported when using Gemini, so you may not be able to get a routine to run like you could with Google Assistant.Some actions are also unsupported, with Gemini helpfully telling you when an action isn't supported just to really rub it in.Some features of Google Assistant routines are also missing with Gemini.
If you ask for the weather, for example, you no longer get detailed weather map cards.Instead, Gemini will only respond with voice or text.If you use Google Assistant routines, you should try running them using Gemini.
You can then see which routines will still work once Google Assistant is removed, and which routines you're going to have to replace or rework.Test your smart home controls You'll still want your lights to turn on in September If Google Assistant is your smart home assistant of choice, you may soon end up in a very confusing situation.While Google smart speakers will continue to support Google Assistant, your phone won't, so you may end up using different Google voice assistants to control the same devices.
Gemini will work with many smart home devices through the Google Home integration.You can use voice control for a wide range of devices, including lights, thermostats, robot vacuums, coffee makers, and more.Not everything works well in Gemini, however.
Users have reported issues with room-based lighting commands, smart home commands freezing mid-conversation, and routines running sporadically.Your mileage may vary, so it's worth testing your most common smart home commands with Gemini on your phone to see what breaks, so you can try to fix the problems before September.Consider a smart home voice assistant that can't be suddenly taken away Companies shouldn't get to decide what you can use If Google Assistant is your smart home voice assistant of choice, then it's on the way out.
Even though Google Assistant will keep working on smart speakers for now, Google has said that eventually, Gemini for Home will replace Google Assistant on existing smart speakers and displays, so it seems like it's only a matter of time before Google Assistant is gone completely.If you're not happy about having your smart home voice assistant replaced with a version that can't do everything the original can, then you have other options.You can instead try a free and open-source alternative such as Home Assistant.
Since Home Assistant is self-hosted, it won't suddenly become unusable after a set date, as is the case with Google Assistant.Even if Home Assistant were to cease to exist, you could continue running your self-hosted version until you could find a proper replacement.Home Assistant's Assist voice assistant isn't as capable as Google Assistant out of the box, but if you combine it with a cloud-based LLM, it can offer you even more control.
If you use a local LLM, the whole voice assistant pipeline can run completely locally, offering you far better privacy than Google Assistant can.Find out what Gemini breaks before the change comes Replacing Google Assistant with Gemini is going to kill some features and break some workflows.It's better to find out what will stop working in advance, so you can be fully prepared before Google Assistant is gone forever.
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