Google has officially adjusted its timeline for replacing Google Assistant with Gemini on Android devices, pushing the completion of the transition into 2026. Back in March, the tech giant had indicated that the upgrade would take place within the current year. However, the company has now revised this plan, stating that the work will continue into the next year.
The original goal was to upgrade the Assistant experience to Gemini on most mobile devices by the end of 2025. Today, Google shared an update explaining that the timeline is being adjusted to “deliver a seamless transition.” This suggests that the company is prioritizing a smooth user experience over hitting the previous deadline.
Once this transition is finalized, Google Assistant will effectively cease to exist on Android phones and tablets. The consolidation will also affect Apple users, as the standalone Google Assistant app for iOS is slated to go away as well.
Despite the delay, the company has promised that more details regarding the change will be made available in the “coming months.” For now, users can still choose their preferred assistant; the option to “Switch to Google Assistant” remains active within the Gemini app.
This backward compatibility extends to newer hardware, including the Pixel 10 series. Any eventual migration is expected to occur on a rolling basis rather than happening immediately for all users at once.
The timing of the announcement indicates that a 2025 completion was no longer feasible. With the year coming to a close, attempting a major software migration during the holiday season would likely have been too disruptive for the user base.
It remains unclear exactly why the delay occurred. Industry observers are unsure if Google simply ran out of time to execute the migration or if the company is taking extra time to add more Assistant-specific features to Gemini before forcing users to switch.
While the mobile phone transition is paused, Gemini continues to expand across other parts of the ecosystem. As of today, the AI assistant is available on Wear OS and is currently rolling out to both Google TV and Android Auto platforms.
On the home front, the “Gemini for Home” Early Access program remains active for smart speakers and smart displays. The revised 2026 timeline offers a fitting bookend to the service’s history, as 2026 will mark exactly ten years since Google Assistant first launched in 2016.