- Gemini should be on the way to Android Auto soon
- The latest Android Auto Update lays the basis
- Google Assistant is retired across devices
Google is now pushing Android Auto 14.0 to phones, and although the update has nothing greater about the user -facing interface, it prepares the way to a big change further down the line: Replacing Google Assistant with Gemini.
As discovered by 9to5Google, there are hidden references in the code to the latest Android Auto app that mentions Gemini and Gemini Live, suggesting that you can soon talk to Google’s more modern AI model from your vehicle.
There are also text strings here that tell you that “Gemini is now the personal AI assistant in your car” and asks for feedback about the “Gemini experience” -clear signs that the contact will come before rather than later.
We also get a mention of “Message Summary Content”, so it sounds like Gemini may summarize your messages when they come in so you can keep your eyes on the road. Let’s hope that Google can make sure that these summaries are accurate and sensitive to bad news.
Out with the old one, in with the new
None of this, of course, is any surprise. Google has been pushing Gemini as a Google Assistant compensation for a while now, and earlier this month, Google Assistant announced this year as far as smartphones go.
Getting other devices on Gemini – Smart speakers, Wearables, Bildashboards – will take longer. Gemini is more demanding than Google Assistant in terms of the treatment effect and memory it needs so older devices can miss.
In terms of time scales, much of this is still up in the air. Google will understandably not commit to a schedule – but it seems that Android Auto (which is just an extension of Android, after all) is the next in line with a Gemini upgrade.
Google Assistant had a good race that first appeared in 2016, but Gemini is now the future. You may have already noticed that some minor features are removed from Google Assistant on smart devices as Google is preparing to interrupt its development.
