Google Assistant Is Gone From Android Phones. Gemini Is the Only Option Now

Long-press the power button on almost any Android phone in the U.S. this week and you will get the same thing: Gemini. Not as a default you can change, and not as a beta you opted into. Google Assistant, the helper that has lived on Android phones since 2016, is now gone from phones, tablets and the gear paired to them.

9to5Google reported on Sept. 28 that the swap is now widely rolled out, and that Assistant was gone on every device and account it checked in the U.S. and Europe. The menu option that used to rescue holdouts, “Switch to Google Assistant” inside the Gemini app, has disappeared.

What actually changed this week

Google began the forced migration on Sept. 4, 2026, after telling users in early August that the switch was coming. For most of September, the change arrived in waves. According to tbreak, the escape hatch vanished for people running Google app version 17.60 stable and 17.62 beta, and Google had warned that the process “could take several weeks.”

Those weeks are up. Here is what now runs on Gemini instead of Assistant:

• Android phones and tablets: the power-button long-press and the corner swipe both open Gemini.
• Wear OS watches: they lose legacy Assistant access once the paired phone makes the switch.
• Compatible earbuds and headphones: voice commands route to Gemini.
• Android Auto: the car interface projected from your phone uses Gemini, not Assistant.

Oddly, Google’s own support page still carries instructions titled “Switch from Gemini to Google Assistant.” The option they describe no longer exists in current builds of the app, so don’t waste time hunting for it.

What still runs Assistant, for now

Your kitchen is safe, at least in this phase. Google says Nest and Google Home speakers, smart displays and other Assistant-enabled speakers are not part of the phone migration. Chrome Unboxed also notes that cars with Google built-in, meaning Android Automotive systems baked into the dashboard rather than Android Auto on your phone, keep Assistant past the September deadline.

That leaves a slightly awkward split household. The phone in your pocket talks to Gemini; the speaker on your counter still answers as Assistant. If you rely on routines that span both, test them this week rather than discovering a broken one at 6 a.m.

A two-year goodbye

This did not come out of nowhere. Google laid out its plan to move mobile users to Gemini in March 2025 and originally aimed to finish by the end of that year. It slipped into 2026. Chrome Unboxed reported that the delay was meant to give Gemini time to handle simple, local tasks, like timers and device controls, as quickly as the old Assistant did.

Whether Gemini has actually closed that gap is something you will judge every morning. It is better at open-ended questions and conversation. It has historically been slower and chattier for the “set a timer for 10 minutes” style of request that Assistant nailed. Google clearly believes the gap is closed enough to stop offering a choice.

What you should do now

Nothing is required, but a few minutes spent now will save frustration later. Open the Gemini app, check which apps and extensions it can reach, and try the commands you use most: alarms, smart home toggles, messages and navigation in Android Auto. If something that worked with Assistant now fails, that is worth reporting through the app’s feedback option, because Google now has no fallback to point you to.

The bigger takeaway is simple. For Android phone owners, Assistant is no longer a setting. It is history.

Sources: 9to5Google, Chrome Unboxed, tbreak. Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash.