Google Assistant Just Lost Seven More Features

It's been clear for some time that the Gemini AI app would be replacing Google Assistant, once it had learned all the necessary tricks and been granted all the required hooks into other apps. Now, Google is in the process of actively dismantling the features available in Google Assistant ahead of its retirement.

As per Google's official support document (as spotted by 9to5Google), seven more Google Assistant features have recently been pulled across Android devices and Nest smart speakers and displays. These deactivated features add to a bunch of other capabilities that were taken away last year.

On smart displays, you can no longer use your voice and Google Assistant to favorite, share, or ask where and when your photos were taken, or to access photo frame settings. You'll now need to delve into Google Photos or the options panel on your smart display to get at this information.

Google Assistant remains integral to Google's smart speakers and displays. Credit: Google

Another Google Assistant capability that's going away across devices is interpreter mode, where you can have a conversation translated in real time. It's still available in the Google Translate app, though you can't yet do this with Gemini.

When it comes to Google Assistant Routines, you can no longer get birthday reminders as part of a Routine. Google is also taking away daily updates and Family Bell announcements from Google Assistant, pointing users towards Routines instead. And finally, Google Assistant is being pulled from car accessories that work via Bluetooth or an AUX plug.

Google says this is all part of "prioritizing the experiences you love and investing in the underlying technology to make them even better" while retiring "underutilized features"—but considering we just received an official announcement that Google Assistant is going to be replaced by Gemini on phones before the end of 2025, there's not going to be much investing in the older AI app from this point on.

Google Gemini is the new default on Pixel phones. Credit: Google

As long as your phone meets the minimum requirements of 2GB of RAM and Android 10 or later, Google Assistant will be switched off in the coming months, and you'll be pointed toward Google Gemini instead (which has already replaced Google Assistant on newer phones such as the Google Pixel 9).

Google also says new Gemini-powered experiences are coming to other devices, including smart speakers and TVs, in the "next few months." The switchover on these other gadgets may take longer, but it'll happen eventually—and it probably makes sense to start using Gemini as much as possible, where you can.

There's still a lot of maintenance work for Google to do here: Routines, for example, let you group a bunch of actions with a single Google Assistant voice command, and there's no sign yet of the functionality appearing in Gemini. However, I wouldn't be surprised to see more Google Assistant features deactivated in the coming months.

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