Android Auto begins erasing Assistant as Gemini prepares for takeover
TL;DR
- With the newest version of Android Auto, references to “Google Assistant” are being replaced with generic terms like “Digital Assistant,” despite still referring to the existing Google Assistant settings.
- The changes indicate Google’s ongoing transition from Google Assistant to Gemini across supported platforms.
Google has long begun phasing out Google Assistant in favor of Gemini across its supported platforms. Back in May, Google had shown off Gemini for Android Auto and cars with Google Built-in, signalling the end of Assistant on yet another platform. The end is near for Google Assistant, as with Android Auto v14.8.152744, we’ve now spotted signs of Google getting rid of the Google Assistant branding from the settings of the Android Auto app, which we managed to activate to give you an early look.
An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
For instance, the mention of “Google Assistant” in Android Auto settings has been changed to “Manage your digital assistant.” The text description has also been tweaked from “Set your weather, home/work locations, and more for your Google Assistant” to “Use your voice to get more done in the car.”
You can see the change in these screenshots:
Tapping on the option still opens up the main Google Assistant settings page, but probably because we don’t yet have access to Gemini on Android Auto in this particular setup. Once Google begins rolling out Gemini, we expect the setting stub to open the Gemini settings page. We’ll keep you updated when we learn more, but it’s best you make peace with Gemini to prepare for the post-Assistant era.
