'This will be my last Pixel': Android fans are rebelling against the imminent demise of Google Assistant — here are 5 reasons why

Gemini is soon set to replace Google Assistant on Android devices
Android fans seem largely unhappy with this change
They've highlighted five things they dislike about Gemini, the main one being that it's bad at carrying out simple tasks

Just over a decade after it launched, Google Assistant is now set to be shut down, with September 4 confirmed as the date it will no longer function on Android or Wear OS. Users will then need to switch over to Gemini if they want a replacement, and while Google probably sees this as an upgrade, many Android fans really don’t.

Over on Reddit, the comments are almost universally negative, with responses like “Gemini absolutely sucks,” “it's so bad,” and “I don't like how Gemini is being shoehorned into everything.”

Some users are going so far as to say they might stop buying Pixel or Android phones if they’re forced to use Gemini, with comments like “honestly I think it's time I de-Google,” “this will be my last Pixel. I don't do AI,” and “I may legitimately discontinue my use of phones that use Gemini if they shut down the Google Assistant. It's THAT obnoxiously bad.”

Of course, things might not be much better on iOS, given that Siri is also in the process of getting an AI overhaul, and the days of simpler services like the old Siri or Google Assistant are numbered, regardless of which phone you choose.

Five core complaints

But the anti-Gemini sentiments aren’t purely coming from people taking an ethical or ideological stance against AI — though that’s certainly a factor for some. The most common complaint is simply that it isn’t as good as Google Assistant at the things the latter excels at, like setting timers and turning on smart lights.

As Reddit user kohta-kun explained: “I asked it to set an alarm today at a specific time, it was to remind me that I was in 3-hour parking. Instead of setting the alarm it asked me why I wanted to, so then I had to do a second response where I explained that it was to remind myself that my three-hour parking ends. It then suggested it could set an alarm or timer to remind me, and asked me if I wanted to do that and for what time.

"It was one of the more bizarre casual interactions I've had. What normally was just done in one prompt turned into a useless, forced conversation, where I had to tell it what I wanted three times.” There are many other similar anecdotes too, of Gemini either failing to carry out a task or taking far too long to do so.

A third issue, tied into the above, is that users complain Gemini “lies” to them, claiming it’s done things it hasn’t, or that it can’t do things it obviously can.

And as one exasperated user noted, “it uses more battery, more data, and is worse in every way,” so that’s two more things that Android fans hate about it.

A few comments are slightly more positive about Gemini, but while they acknowledge its capabilities as an LLM, they still largely note that it’s simply not suited to the things Google Assistant excelled at.

So, it seems this isn’t a popular decision by Google, but with almost the whole tech world forcing AI into its products and services, it’s unlikely the company will change its mind.

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James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.