Google has confirmed September 4 as the shutdown date for Google Assistant on Android. In an email sent to users this week, the company said Assistant on Android devices will be switched off starting September 4, 2026, completing the forced migration to Gemini — a transition originally planned for late 2025 that was delayed while Google shored up its AI assistant.
The shutdown reaches far beyond phones: smartwatches, headphones, and Android Auto cars that rely on Assistant will also move to Gemini, and Google notes the process may take several weeks to complete. Most of Google's smart home devices have already transitioned. Holdouts on older devices that don't meet Gemini's minimum specs — or users in regions where Gemini isn't supported — may get a temporary reprieve.
Assistant won't vanish everywhere at once: the email doesn't mention Android TVs and set-top boxes or vehicles with Google built-in, which will move to Gemini-only at an unspecified future date.
The retirement closes an era in which 'Hey Google' delivered a limited but predictable voice interface on billions of devices. In its place comes Gemini, a powerful but sometimes confounding chatbot that calls tools to complete tasks once baked into Assistant. As Ars Technica notes, there may be an adjustment period for Assistant holdouts — Gemini sometimes goes off on a tangent or forgets it has access to a tool, making quick voice interactions frustrating. But, as the report puts it, 'this is the future.'
