Google recently announced the final transition timeline for its voice assistant service via its official blog, marking the countdown to the Google Assistant era. Starting immediately, users will gradually transition to the next-generation AI assistant, Gemini, which has fully taken over core platforms such as Android, Wear OS, Chrome, and smart speakers. This transition plan will continue until the first quarter of 2026, during which users can manually complete the migration through settings to ensure a seamless service transition.
According to the plan, key milestones are clearly defined: Starting in December 2024, Gemini will handle high-frequency commands such as voice search, alarms, calendar, and smart home control by default; in June 2025, Nest speakers and displays will fully roll out Gemini, adding support for "natural language + continuous dialogue"; in January 2026, the Google Assistant app will be removed from the Play Store and App Store; finally, all services will terminate on March 31, 2026, and devices will be forced to switch to Gemini. Functionally, Gemini significantly outperforms Google Assistant with its 1 million tokens of contextual understanding, cross-application task execution, and screen understanding technology, while Google Assistant will only maintain basic functions and will no longer receive iterative updates.
For users, Android 10 and above devices will automatically receive Gemini plugin updates, with Wear OS and Chromebooks receiving synchronized updates. Smart speaker users will need to manually confirm the migration; otherwise, they may be unable to wake up their devices starting in April 2026. Google emphasizes that historical data and personalized settings can be imported into Gemini with a single click to ensure a consistent experience. This upgrade not only reflects the inevitability of technological iteration but also foreshadows a shift in Google's strategic focus in the AI assistant field.
