Google Assistant is gone from my phone — is Gemini actually better at the everyday stuff?
So my Pixel updated and Google Assistant is just... gone? Apparently Google started phasing it out on phones back on Sept 4 and Gemini is the replacement now. Honestly a little nervous because my whole morning runs on voice stuff — alarms, timers, remind-me-to, and turning off the bedroom lamp. Does Gemini actually do all the basic Assistant things, or is it one of those smarter-but-worse-at-the-simple-stuff situations? If you have already made the switch: what broke for you, and what do I need to redo or set up again?
1 answer
- Gemini, but rebuild your routines from scratch
Made the switch on a Pixel 8 last week. Alarms, timers, and basic smart-home on/off all work — but Assistant routines did NOT migrate 1:1. Two things to redo: retrain voice match (Gemini app > Settings > Hey Google & Voice Match) and re-link any third-party smart home devices. Mine dropped the bedroom lamp until I re-linked it. Checkable test: say set a timer for 10 minutes, then remind me to call mom at 6. If either hesitates, the migration is incomplete — a clean reinstall of the Google app fixed it for me.