What changes when Gemini replaces Assistant?
On 14 March 2025, Google announced that it was moving mobile users from Google Assistant to Gemini over the following months. The classic Assistant would then no longer be accessible on most mobile devices or available for new downloads in app stores. Google gave no fixed date per country. For phones that do not meet Gemini's minimum requirements, Google said Assistant would not change for now.
Gemini becomes the primary assistant on your phone. "Hey Google" and touch activation still work, but Gemini now answers, including on paired accessories such as smartwatches and earbuds. For speakers, displays and TVs, Google has announced a separate Gemini-powered experience. What to check when a speaker offers an AI upgrade is covered in Upgrading to Alexa+: check the cost, data and way back first.
Technically, Gemini runs through the Google app and uses its permissions for camera, microphone, contacts and location. According to Google, the Gemini app needs at least Android 9 and 2 GB of RAM. It cannot be used in an Android work profile.
How does Gemini start, and how do you limit it?
| Trigger | What happens | Where to change it |
|---|---|---|
| "Hey Google" | Gemini opens when you speak, set up with Voice Match | Gemini app settings |
| Press and hold the power button | The "Digital assistant" action opens your default digital assistant app | Phone settings, gestures |
| Locked phone | Gemini responds without you unlocking | Gemini app settings |
| Default assistant | Decides which app responds as your assistant at all | Phone settings, default apps |
Google says "Hey Google" can be activated by accident, and recording can start a few seconds before activation. Once Gemini is activated, the microphone stays open for up to 5 minutes to listen to your request.
Android: limit how Gemini starts
- Open the Gemini app, tap Menu on the left, then your profile picture or initial.
- Tap Settings › Talk to Gemini hands-free and turn off "Hey Google" if you do not want Gemini to start by voice.
- In Settings, tap Gemini on lock screen and turn off "Use Gemini without unlocking".
- For the power button, open your phone's Settings › System › Gestures › Press & hold power button and choose the action you want. The steps vary by Android device.
Menu path as given in the manufacturer’s help; it may differ by device and version: support.google.com
Tip: If you have blocked voice and touch activation, unlock your phone and open the Gemini app yourself. That way Gemini only runs when you choose it.
What does Gemini store, and how do you set your history?
Your chats are saved in "Gemini Apps activity". The Keep activity setting is on by default for users aged 18 and over. By default, Google deletes entries older than 18 months; you can choose 3 or 36 months instead, or turn auto-delete off.
If you turn Keep activity off, conversations are still saved with your account for up to 72 hours so that Google can provide the service and process feedback. Some connected apps, such as Google Workspace, are then unavailable.
Google also has people review chats, for example to spot poor or incorrect answers. Google says it disconnects them from your account before service providers see them, and keeps reviewed chats for up to three years. Google itself advises against entering confidential information. To decide what to leave out, see Before an AI prompt: which details to remove from your text.
Android: set your Gemini Apps activity
- Open the Gemini app, tap Menu on the left, then your profile picture or initial › Gemini Apps activity.
- To switch it off, tap "On" near the top, then "Turn off" or "Turn off and delete activity".
- To change how long entries are kept, tap the auto-delete option near the top, choose 3, 18 or 36 months or "Don't auto-delete activity", then tap "Next".
- To remove saved entries, tap "Delete" above your activity and pick a range such as "Last day" or "All time".
Menu path as given in the manufacturer’s help; it may differ by device and version: support.google.com
How to manage history and memory in other chatbots is covered in Chatbot privacy: set history, memory and ads.
Which apps and data can Gemini use?
Gemini can work with other apps, for example to write messages or start calls. If Keep activity is off, Google says only a few connected apps remain available on Android, such as Device assistance, Phone, Messages and WhatsApp.
Android: review Connected Apps
- Open the Gemini app, tap Menu on the left, then your profile picture or initial.
- Tap Connected Apps. If you do not see it, tap Personal Intelligence › Connected Apps.
- Turn off each app you do not want Gemini to use, then follow any on-screen instructions.
Menu path as given in the manufacturer’s help; it may differ by device and version: support.google.com
Germany's Verbraucherzentrale Niedersachsen, a consumer advice centre, pointed out in December 2025 that switching off every connection stops Gemini working with those apps but does not stop data being stored. Google adds that disconnecting an app does not remove data from your Gemini Apps activity; you delete that separately.
Gemini uses the location permission you have set for the Google app.
Android: check location access for Gemini
- Open Settings › Location › App location permissions › Google.
- Check whether "Use precise location" is on, and choose "Allow all the time", "Allow only while using the app", "Ask every time" or "Don't allow".
Menu path as given in the manufacturer’s help; it may differ by device and version: support.google.com
For other apps, see Does this app need your contacts? Review permissions on purpose.
Can you go back to Google Assistant?
As of 18 October 2026, Gemini Help still describes how to switch back. Because Google has said the classic Assistant will no longer be accessible on most mobile devices, expect this option not to be offered everywhere or for ever.
Android: switch from Gemini to Google Assistant
- Open the Gemini app, tap Menu on the left, then your profile picture or initial.
- Tap Switch to Google Assistant › Google Assistant.
- In the "Switch to Google Assistant?" dialogue, tap "Switch".
Menu path as given in the manufacturer’s help; it may differ by device and version: support.google.com
After that, Assistant responds to "Hey Google" and to touch activation such as holding the power button. If Web & App Activity is on, your Assistant interactions are saved to your Google Account. Your Gemini Apps activity is not deleted automatically. If the switch is not offered, you can choose a different default assistant or none. Deleting only the Gemini app may leave Gemini set as your default assistant, Google notes.
Android: change your default digital assistant app
- Open Settings › Apps › Default apps › Digital assistant app.
- Tap Default digital assistant app and select another app or "None". The steps vary by Android device.
Menu path as given in the manufacturer’s help; it may differ by device and version: support.google.com
What applies in your country?
In the European Economic Area and Switzerland, Google Ireland Limited provides the Gemini apps. Citing laws including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Google says you may object to the processing and ask for inaccurate personal data in Gemini's answers to be corrected. Switzerland is not in the EU, so EU rules do not apply there automatically.
| Country | Legal framework | Independent body | What it offers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | GDPR | Verbraucherzentralen (consumer advice centres), e.g. Lower Saxony | Guide to what Gemini means and how to switch it off (15 December 2025, in German) |
| Austria | GDPR | Austrian Data Protection Authority (Österreichische Datenschutzbehörde) | Online complaints form on its website (in German) |
| Switzerland | Federal Act on Data Protection, in force since 1 September 2023; not EU law | Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) | States that the Act applies directly to AI-supported data processing |
| France | GDPR | CNIL | Tips on AI voice assistants (November 2024): share the bare minimum, delete data regularly |
| Italy | GDPR | Garante per la protezione dei dati personali | Factsheet on smart assistants (March 2021): avoid storing sensitive data, clear the history |
| Spain | GDPR | INCIBE, free cybersecurity helpline 017 | Advice on reviewing and deleting assistant history |
The Swiss FDPIC adds that you have a right to know whether you are talking to a machine and whether your input is used to improve self-learning programs.
An example: Aoife sets up Gemini calmly
Fictional example: Aoife in Dublin gets a prompt on her Android phone to switch to Gemini. She accepts, because she still wants to set timers and play music by voice.
That evening she opens "Gemini Apps activity" and changes auto-delete from 18 to 3 months. In Connected Apps she turns off everything she does not need, but keeps Phone and Messages so she can ring her brother by voice.
Because her nephew often borrows the phone, she turns off "Use Gemini without unlocking". Questions about her blood test results go to her GP, not to Gemini. On a sticky note she writes: check these settings again after the next big update.
Common mistakes
- Assuming that switching off Keep activity deletes every chat at once, when Google keeps conversations for up to 72 hours.
- Deleting only the Gemini app and thinking Gemini is gone, although it can stay set as the default assistant.
- Forgetting the lock screen, so Gemini also answers on a locked phone.
- Saying health details, passwords or bank details aloud, even though people may review chats.
- Setting everything once and never checking again after major updates.
Your checklist
The checkboxes are for your own reference. No entries are sent to us. To keep a copy, print the page or save it as a PDF using your browser menu.
Common questions
Can I get the old Google Assistant back?
Yes, as long as your Gemini app still shows "Switch to Google Assistant" under your profile. Google has said the classic Assistant will no longer be accessible on most mobile devices, though. If the option is missing, make Gemini more restrained instead: turn off "Hey Google", change the power button action, block lock screen use or choose another default assistant.
Is Gemini listening all the time?
Gemini responds to "Hey Google" if you have set this up with Voice Match. Google says accidental activations can happen and that recording can start a few seconds before activation. If that bothers you, turn off "Hey Google" in the Gemini app settings and start Gemini with the power button or by opening the app.
Will Gemini run on my older Android phone?
According to Google, the Gemini app needs at least Android 9 and 2 GB of RAM, and it must be available in your country and language. For phones that do not meet the minimum requirements, Google said Assistant would not change for now.
What happens to my old Assistant history?
According to Google, Assistant saves your interactions to your Google Account if Web & App Activity is on. Gemini chats go to Gemini Apps activity instead, a separate history with its own auto-delete period. If you want to tidy up, review both histories separately. You find the Gemini deletion options in the app under your profile picture.
Can my child use Gemini?
Only people who have reached the minimum age in their country may use the Gemini app; younger children need a parent's consent. With Family Link, parents can turn off Gemini Apps for children under 13 or under the applicable age in their country. If you manage a child's phone, check what is set there.
Sources and further information
Primary sources from public authorities, consumer organisations and providers. A source may be in another language; follow the guidance that applies to your service and where you live.
- Google Blog: The Assistant experience on mobile is upgrading to Gemini (14 March 2025)Source review date:
- Gemini Apps Help: Manage or delete the Gemini app on your Android deviceSource review date:
- Gemini Apps Help: Gemini Apps Privacy HubSource review date:
- Gemini Apps Help: Gemini mobile app availabilitySource review date:
- FDPIC (Switzerland): AI and data protectionSource review date:
- Verbraucherzentrale Niedersachsen: What the introduction of Google Gemini means (in German)Source review date:
- Austrian Data Protection Authority: complaints (in German)Source review date:
- CNIL: AI, does your voice assistant know your private life? (in French)Source review date:
- Garante Privacy: Digital assistants (smart assistants) (in Italian)Source review date:
- INCIBE: Can virtual assistants listen to our conversations? (in Spanish)Source review date:
