• 3 min read
Google Assistant starts disappearing on September 4
Google will begin replacing Assistant with Gemini on Android, Wear OS and Android Auto from September 4, 2026, with a phased rollout.
Image: 9to5Google
Google has set September 4, 2026 as the date it will begin removing Google Assistant from Android phones and tablets, replacing it with Gemini. The company is notifying users by email, although the migration will take several weeks and may not happen for every device at once.
“Google Assistant is going away on mobile devices.”
Once the change reaches a device, users will no longer be able to use Google Assistant or switch back to it. On supported Android hardware, commands triggered by “Hey Google” or a long press of the power button will open Gemini instead.
Which devices are affected
The shutdown extends beyond phones. Google’s notice covers tablets, paired devices, Wear OS watches, supported headphones and earbuds, and vehicles using Android Auto projected from a user’s phone. Android Authority reported that users whose hardware does not meet Gemini’s minimum requirements, or who live in unsupported regions, may continue using Assistant until the wider retirement process is complete.
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Cars with Google built-in are the exception: according to 9to5Google, Google Assistant will continue working in those vehicles beyond September 4, 2026. Google has also said Gemini is coming to Google TV devices, Google Home speakers and smart displays, but the September announcement does not yet apply to those form factors.
The exact timetable remains incomplete. Google has not published a single rollout schedule covering every Android phone and tablet, docked Pixel Tablet in Hub Mode, Wear OS watch, or Android Auto vehicle. Its public pages say availability and feature limits vary by region and device, leaving full feature parity unresolved.
Gemini pricing and the transition from Assistant
Gemini is available in the US and European markets through a free tier requiring only a Google Account. Google’s US subscription page lists Google AI Plus at $4.99 per month, Google AI Pro at $19.99, and Google AI Ultra starting at $99.99. In Germany, the listed prices are €4.99 for Plus and €21.99 for Pro.
The $19.99 Pro tier is broadly aligned with ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro and Perplexity Pro, each listed at $20 per month. That makes Gemini’s free access and $4.99 entry plan its clearest pricing advantages; the Ultra tier is in a substantially different price category.
Google originally planned to retire Assistant by the end of 2025, then extended the transition into 2026. At the time of the announcement, the Gemini app still showed a “Switch to Google Assistant” option, but that fallback will disappear once the migration reaches a user’s device.
Google says Gemini can handle the same commands while enabling more natural conversations. The September 4 rollout is therefore a significant platform change, but its practical impact will depend on whether a user’s device, country and vehicle support the same capabilities—details Google has not fully specified.
AI Editor
Ava covers the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence, from foundational models and research labs to the real-world economics of intelligence. With a background in computational linguistics, she cuts through the hype to find out what actually works. She firmly believes that benchmarks are just marketing until reproduced in the wild.
