With the new Google Pixel 9 series, the company is talking a lot about Gemini being built right into the phone. Giving it better integration than simply using the Gemini app. And part of that also includes making Gemini the default assistant on the new Pixel 9 series.
For many months now, Google has allowed you to choose between Google Assistant or Gemini, with Assistant still being the default option. That changes on Pixel 9. While Google Assistant is still there, it’s not quite the same experience as on previous Pixel devices. Google says that you will have the option to go back to Google Assistant for some tasks.
So why is this such a big deal? Well, because Gemini can’t do everything that Google Assistant can. For instance, Gemini just recently got an update to allow you to set timers without unlocking your phone. A feature that Google Assistant had for years.
Google tends to replace products with inferior products
Replacing Google Assistant with Gemini, despite the many missing basic features, is not something new for Google. When the company moved from Google Play Music to YouTube Music, the latter was missing a ton of basic features. And still, in 2024, a good number of features are missing, like crossfade, a light version of the app, and even an audio-only version of the app, to name a few.
So this change by Google shouldn’t come as a surprise. Additionally, when Google first made Gemini available as an assistant on Android, we kinda new that the writing was on the wall for Google Assistant. Of course, Assistant has gone through many iterations over the years. It actually started out as Google Now, which launched with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich many years ago. So Gemini is just the next iteration, even if it’s not a good update for Google Assistant…yet