With Google’s support for productive AI, the company is betting everything on one card: Gemini. And this letter will appear across the entire portfolio of products for individuals, including Android: Gemini will replace Google Assistant. We have already tested this, it can be installed in just a few steps.

Since the Gemini app was released, along with the launch of the Gemini Advanced subscription, I tried to launch the assistant on my Google Pixel device, but without success: the app was not compatible with the devices. This changed last Saturday; Pixel 8 Pro let me choose Gemini as the default assistant. First in English, but now also available in Spanish. And this is a good step forward; Although Google Assistant knows how to do more tasks than Gemini currently does.

Talk to AI just by calling the assistant

Choosing Gemini as your default personal assistant

With Google Bard moving to Gemini and the death of the first one, the same thing will happen to Google Assistant: The default Android assistant will be the aforementioned Gemini.It is a process that will be completed over the course of months. This means that Google’s artificial intelligence can not only provide speech and answer questions, but also interact with our mobile phone and installed applications.

When Gemini is selected as the default assistant on the mobile phone, Google Assistant disappears from the phone except in the settings. For the rest, the jumping Gemini appears when you hold down the power button (if this gesture is selected) or say “Hey, Google”: conversion completed. Or almost, because the new AI hasn’t learned all the tricks of Google Assistant yet.

My initial feeling when I started Gemini was very positive: Google integrating assistant, chatbot, search engine, content creator, and phone engagement tool in the same interface. avoid the usual multitude of apps and tools, a situation specific to Google. Gemini’s appearance is clean, polished, responsive, and supports both voice and typing interaction; as well as offering the ability to upload images for analysis.

Gemini appears in a small Google Assistant-style floating window below. Like this, the new AI can be asked to turn on the flashlight, activate WiFi, or interact with connected home automation devices: the process is similar. It also enables but does not disable airplane mode: Gemini always needs internet. Even on the Pixel 8 Pro, a handset that runs Gemini nano natively.

Generally speaking, once Gemini is installed on Android you can do the following:

• Search anything on Google and get a specific and extended answer.
• Create text content on demand.
• Generate computer code with one command.
• Gemini can produce images if the mobile phone has a VPN from the United States and the order is placed in English.
• Artificial intelligence can enable and disable options such as WiFi, Bluetooth or airplane mode.
• It’s also possible to interact with home automation devices synced with Google Assistant on Gemini.
• It allows you to schedule alerts, timers, reminders and alarms.
• It is possible to open applications by simply telling Gemini its name.

Although requests are made to Gemini, the phone interaction engine remains Google Assistant

Opening an app by just saying it doesn’t change anything in Assistant, though. Gemini cannot present the route via Google Maps when asked directly by voice. For me, this is a big step back from Gemini, because it was very convenient to ask Assistant for directions and start the route directly from the suggestion. Hopefully Google will add this to Gemini in the future.

One thing I miss about Gemini is being able to talk directly to the AI, which is the voice conversation mode offered by Google Assistant (we’ve never seen it in English or Spanish). And I think it’s a huge shortcoming compared to the competition, ChatGPT: Open AI’s conversation mode is great. This is one of my main requests to Google, at least considering that Gemini now runs on Android. Because speaking through text becomes very fluent and natural.

A small big change that opens the door to a big future

In my tests with Gemini, the truth is that it represents a huge improvement over Google Assistant. And before the Assistant in question disappears completely, which is all Gemini settings are based on its sibling’s settings. I think Google will move the systems and improve phone interaction and conversation. At the moment the operation seems sufficient to me.

While the assistant’s functionality and performance falters, Gemini brings greater potential to personal assistance with the ability to answer questions in a very specific way (and without just offering a web search). AND Ability to produce all kinds of content in text and code (images in Spanish soon) is an appreciated extra.

You can currently try Gemini in Spanish on a large number of Android phones: just install the APK, open it and follow the configuration. In my experience with the new assistant, it’s so worth it. Although it’s still a bit green.

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