Is Gemini replacing Google Assistant?

Yes, on Android phones Gemini is taking over from Google Assistant. The change is not a single day you can wait out. Google announced it in March 2025, moved the deadline into 2026, and reports put the start of the rollout in early September 2026. Phones are the main change. Speakers, displays, TVs and cars with built-in Assistant follow their own schedules, and some of them keep Assistant.

Google announced the replacement in March 2025

In March 2025 Google said it would replace Google Assistant on Android phones with Gemini. It also said the classic Assistant would stop being accessible on most mobile devices later that year ¹. The deadline has moved since then. The September 2026 start that was reported is about 17.7 months after the announcement ².

Google's help page says that when you switch to Gemini on Android, Gemini replaces Google Assistant as the primary assistant on your device ³. "Primary" is the part to watch: the phone's main assistant changes when you switch.

Reports put the switch to Gemini in early September 2026

SamMobile reported that Google would start replacing Assistant with Gemini on Galaxy phones, tablets, watches, Buds and Android Auto on September 4, 2026 ⁴. The Google help pages we read do not give that date, so treat it as reported rather than confirmed by Google.

A later report carries more weight for the rollout itself. On September 28, 2026, 9to5Google wrote that Assistant was gone on every device and account it checked in the US and Europe ⁵. That is a press check of a limited set of accounts, not a count from Google. It is still the most recent evidence we have, and it fits the reported start date.

What changes on each device

The answer depends on what you own. This is the picture as of October 17, 2026:

Google says Gemini will replace Google Assistant on paired devices such as smart watches, headphones and earbuds ⁶. On the other side, Google says that on locked non-mobile devices, including smart displays, smart speakers, TVs and cars, Google Assistant keeps responding to "Hey Google" ⁷. Speakers and displays have their own assistant setting, covered in the guide to Google Assistant voice commands.

It depends: when your phone has not switched yet

The switch is not the same on every phone. A phone can still show Assistant if the rollout has not reached it. Reports disagree on how many devices are covered, so the only reliable test is your own phone. Press and hold the power button, or say "Hey Google," and see which assistant answers. If it is Assistant, the change has not reached you yet.

Speakers and displays are a separate case. Gemini for Home can replace Assistant on compatible speakers and displays, and Google says that once a home switches, it cannot switch back ⁸. A TV or car with built-in Assistant is not part of the phone switch.

What to do before the switch reaches you

1. Test your commands now. Some familiar Assistant features may not carry over to Gemini. The question on which Assistant features Gemini lacks lists the gaps Google named.
2. Decide whether you can switch back. After a phone has moved to Gemini, switching back may no longer be possible. Read the question on switching back to Google Assistant before you change anything.
3. Set up Hey Google again on the new assistant. The wake phrase is a setting of the voice assistant you use, and Hey Google has to be turned on separately for Gemini. The steps are in the question on how to turn on Hey Google.

For the wider picture of how voice assistants differ from dictation, see our overview of voice assistants and dictation. For the whole subject of spoken input, see speech to text, AI and voice.