Google Assistant shuts down on phones starting September 4

Google will remove Google Assistant from Android phones and tablets, along with paired devices like smartwatches, starting September 4th. The move was disclosed in an email to some users.

Why it matters: This formalizes Gemini's full takeover as Google's assistant across its device ecosystem, retiring a product line that predates the current generative AI wave. It's a concrete data point that chatbot-based assistants are now considered mature enough to fully replace older rules-based voice assistants at consumer scale.