Google Assistant is disappearing from Android as Gemini takes over

Gemini replaces Google Assistant on Android for some users as Google’s mobile migration reaches their devices, and the old switch-back option is missing from their Gemini app. In its September 28 report, 9to5Google says the change is appearing across user reports and its checks in the US and Europe, rather than arriving as one global cut-off.

The report’s screenshots include an earlier Gemini menu with “Switch to Google Assistant” still listed. That image shows the old route, not the current state being reported. The change now is that the entry has disappeared from newer app builds.

Gemini replaces Google Assistant: what changed

Google’s mobile transition was already under way before this latest report. In March 2025, the company said it would move more mobile users from Assistant to Gemini over the coming months and later remove classic Assistant from most phones. Google also said it planned to bring Gemini to tablets and devices connected to phones, while its home-device transition would follow on a separate timetable.

The immediate deadline came later. Google began removing Assistant from mobile devices on September 4, 2026, and said the process could take several weeks, according to 9to5Google’s August report. The September update says the rollback action is no longer visible in the Gemini app for users on Google app 17.60 stable and 17.62 beta. These are Google app versions, not Gemini app version numbers.

When Gemini replaces Google Assistant on an eligible phone, the familiar access methods change with it: a long press of the power button or a corner swipe opens Gemini. The change affects paired mobile devices too, including Wear OS watches and compatible headphones; the August notice also included Android Auto projected from a phone. It is therefore a change to the assistant tied to a mobile account, not simply a Gemini app update users can ignore.

Which devices are included in the switch?

The clearest boundary is between the phone-linked rollout and Google’s other devices. The September report says Google Nest and Google Home speakers, smart displays and other Assistant-enabled speakers and displays are not part of this phase. Google’s current Gemini Help page likewise says those home devices continue to use Assistant when Gemini becomes the primary mobile assistant.

Cars need a little more care. Android Auto projected from a user’s phone was included in the mobile deprecation notice, while cars with Google built in have their own Gemini upgrade path. We covered that separate Google-built-in car rollout earlier this year; it should not be treated as the same update as the phone migration.

There is also a gap between Google’s help text and the latest reported app behaviour. Its Gemini settings guide still has a “Switch from Gemini to Google Assistant” section and says Android users can change their default digital assistant. 9to5Google, however, reports that the menu action has disappeared from the newer builds it checked. The help page documents the intended settings, but does not establish that the switch remains available to every account during this rollout.

What Android users should expect next

The reports do not establish that Assistant has disappeared for every Android user. 9to5Google’s latest checks covered users in the US and Europe, and Google’s earlier notice said the removal could take weeks. The fact that one phone still shows the old menu, or another no longer does, fits a staged migration; it is not evidence of a universal completion date.

For UAE users, no country-specific completion date has been announced in the sources checked. Khaleej Times’ September 1 update described the rollout as gradual and said Google had not set an exact date for every device or country. A UAE account should therefore be treated as subject to the same account-and-device rollout, not as already switched simply because the change is visible elsewhere.

Google’s original mobile transition announcement framed Gemini as the replacement for most mobile users, with some devices below Gemini’s minimum requirements excluded at the time. The latest report is a sign that the old opt-out is being removed for some users; it is not confirmation that every Assistant feature, device category or regional rollout has reached the same point.