Google has pushed back its plan to fully replace Google Assistant with its Gemini AI across most Android devices, signaling that the company is taking a more cautious approach to one of the most consequential platform shifts in Android’s history.
The company said it is adjusting its previously announced timeline, which had targeted the end of 2025 for making Gemini the default digital assistant on most Android phones. Instead, Google now expects the transition to continue into 2026, saying it wants to ensure a “seamless transition” for users. Further details on the revised roadmap will be shared in the coming months, suggesting that the final switchover could extend beyond early 2026.
The delay is attributed to the technical and strategic complexity of replacing Google Assistant, a service that has been deeply embedded in Android for nearly a decade, with a far more advanced and resource-intensive AI system.
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Google Assistant’s retirement became all but inevitable once Gemini was unveiled and began inheriting Assistant’s core functions, including voice commands, app control, and smart home management. That shift became tangible in 2024, when Google launched the Pixel 9 series with Gemini set as the default assistant, effectively positioning Assistant as legacy software on Google’s flagship hardware.
Since then, Google has been steadily integrating Gemini across its product ecosystem, spanning Search, Gmail, Docs, Chrome, and Android. The company has also said Gemini will power experiences beyond smartphones, including tablets, in-car systems, and accessories such as smartwatches and wireless earbuds that connect to Android phones.
However, moving from a dual-assistant phase to a complete handover has proven more difficult than expected.
A key constraint is hardware compatibility. Google has confirmed that only devices running Android 10 or later with at least 2GB of RAM will be eligible for the Gemini upgrade. While modest by flagship standards, that threshold excludes a significant number of older and low-end Android devices, particularly in emerging markets where Android’s global dominance is strongest.
Google Assistant was designed to operate efficiently on a wide range of hardware, including entry-level phones. Gemini, by contrast, relies more heavily on on-device processing and cloud-based AI inference, placing greater demands on memory, processing power, and network reliability. Ensuring consistent performance across millions of devices with vastly different capabilities remains a major challenge.
Beyond hardware, Google appears wary of disrupting everyday user habits. Assistant handles a wide range of routine tasks, from alarms and reminders to navigation, dictation, and home automation. Any degradation in speed, accuracy, or reliability during the transition could undermine user trust, especially among those who rely heavily on voice interactions.
By extending the timeline, Google is effectively buying itself room to close feature gaps, improve latency, and ensure Gemini can handle edge cases that Assistant has refined over years of real-world use.
The delay also comes amid intensifying competition in AI assistants. Apple is rolling out deeper AI integration across iOS, Microsoft continues to embed Copilot across Windows and enterprise software, and Amazon is rebuilding Alexa around generative AI. In that context, Google faces pressure not just to replace Assistant, but to deliver a clearly superior experience that justifies the shift.
Internally, Gemini is central to Google’s broader AI strategy, positioning the company to defend its dominance in search, mobile software and advertising as user behavior evolves toward conversational and AI-driven interfaces.
For now, Google Assistant will continue to coexist with Gemini on many Android devices, with Gemini gradually assuming more responsibilities as updates roll out. The extended timeline suggests Google is prioritizing stability and user confidence over speed, even as it pushes aggressively to make Gemini the connective tissue across its products.
While Assistant’s days are clearly numbered, Google’s revised plan signals that the company would rather arrive late with a fully formed AI assistant than rush a transition that risks alienating its massive Android user base.