Google forcibly replaces Assistant with Gemini, users report slow responses and lost features
Pyromethious · reddit · 2026-09-22
A Reddit user reports that a system update removed Google Assistant entirely, forcing Gemini with clear regressions:
- Noticeably slower voice responses, and Gemini leaves stale windows on screen after executing commands, consistent across voice and button triggers
- In Android Auto, a simple reminder request was refused with "Sorry, I can't do that yet", repeatedly
- Wired Android Auto / car stereos aren't covered by Google's allowance for older devices to keep Assistant
- Old routines pointing to "Open Assistant" must be redirected to "Open Gemini", and the mic still needs a manual tap to activate
The poster wants the old Assistant experience back (including its softer voice) but sees no good path.
More from Apps
- Ditto launches swap-anything video tool to replace any video's main character — yoobinray · 2026-11-12
- Loom founder launches Roma 2.0, a shared to-do list that orchestrates AI agents — thetripathi58 · 2026-11-12
- AI pipeline turns a few product photos into a full video ad via storyboard-first workflow — jeffgrimes9 · 2026-11-12
- Pika Integrates Seedream 5.5: Split Images Into 100+ Layers for Precise Multi-Turn Edits — aziz4ai · 2026-11-12
- Llama app adds simultaneous voice, image and video input, running locally on LFM3-Omni — mervenoyann · 2026-11-12
- Google Labs launches Tabletop, an AI experiment that builds custom shared spaces on demand — GoogleLabs · 2026-11-12