Redundancy is often associated with Google.
When Google officially launched Gemini after rebranding and relaunching Bard, many quickly noticed how far the two are apart. Gemini is much more powerful and capable, and that it makes Assistant look more like a relic. However, people also began noticing the striking resemblance Gemini has with Google Assistant.
The similarity lies in the fact that both are essentially 'digital assistants' designed to help users through text and voice.
OpenAI's release of ChatGPT showcased the immense potential of Large Language Models (LLMs), sparking a competitive arms race among tech giants.
Driven by this momentum, Google is advancing aggressively with Gemini, well aware of the lucrative potential in this field.
But notably, Google hasn’t abandoned Assistant—keeping both products in play as it navigates the evolving AI landscape.
This is slowly changing.
One of the main reasons Google keeps Assistant is that, it's buried deep inside the Android ecosystem, allowing users to control many aspects of their device.
Besides providing information and web searches, Assistant also provides smart home control, navigation and local information, set up reminders and alarms, controlling notifications and communications, as well as providing entertainment and media control. Assistant can also assist with productivity and help with task management, language translation and learning, as well some others.
And here, the things that Assistant can do that Gemini cannot, include controlling users' smartphone, smart speakers, smart TVs, and other devices.
This includes tasks like setting alarms, making calls, sending messages, and controlling smart home devices.
Assistant is also better integrated with smart home devices, and has better routine automation capabilities, as well as device management and integration.
Whereas Assistant can operate across a wide range of Google devices and third-party devices that integrate with Google’s ecosystem, it's more like a bridge for users to control their entire digital ecosystem.
On the other hand, Gemini is more about being a conversational AI model.
With the 'Utilities' extension, this is changing.
As previewed back at I/O 2024 in May, Google is starting to roll out the Gemini Utilities extension that can "control your Android mobile device & apps."
According to Google, the Utilities extension allows Gemini to "manage your alarms and timers, open apps, control your media, and more."
Voice and text prompts are also accepted.
Google said in a dedicated support page, that it is “gradually releasing this extension, so it might not be available to you just yet" and that initially, Utilities is for "prompts in English only."
And more importantly, users must set Gemini as their default digital assistant, replacing Assistant, before they can use the Utilities extension.
However, because the Utilities extension isn't giving Gemini all of Assistant's abilities just yet, it still relies on Assistant fallback for a more native experience.
When Google announced Gemini as a Google Assistant replacement, as it lacked many features that Assistant had been able to do for users since it launched. Not only that, but users had to select between one or the other as their phone’s digital assistant.
With Utilities, things should be better for Gemini converts.