AIBRIEF
The deprecation also covers Wear OS watches, headphones, and phone projected Android Auto in cars, with most smart home gear not affected by this date and Gemini arriving on a separate, unannounced schedule.
Google is shutting down Assistant on Android phones on September 4, 2026, and the same deprecation covers Wear OS watches, headphones, and vehicles running Android Auto projected from a phone. The cutoff was first reported on August 4, when emails to existing Assistant users began landing in inboxes, surfaced by 9to5google and Ars Technica.
The rollout is expected to take several weeks to reach every user, rather than a hard cutoff on the day. Google positions Gemini, its newer AI assistant, as the replacement. A "Switch to Google Assistant" option currently still exists inside the Gemini app.
Cars with Google built-in keep Assistant beyond September 4. Most Google smart-home gear, including Nest speakers, smart displays, and Google TV, plus the docked Pixel Tablet, is not covered by this specific shutdown date. Gemini is rolling out to those surfaces on a separate, unannounced schedule.
The original end-of-2025 shutdown was pushed to 2026 without a firm date. The September 4 pin, drawn from the user email, is the first concrete one. Android Authority and Tom's Guide also confirmed the email. No Google support-page or blog post with the same date has appeared yet.