Google is axing the 'Assistant with Bard' branding now that Gemini is here

Google made a major announcement yesterday, changing Bard’s name to Gemini. The AI also has a standalone Android app that replaces Google Assistant entirely on your phones. With Gemini essentially becoming an alternative for Assistant on Android, we wondered what would happen to Assistant with Bard — the more intelligent Google Assistant alternative the company announced in October alongside the Pixel 8 series. It turns out it’s never going to make it out now.

Google confirmed to Android Authority in an email exchange that Gemini on Android is the experience Assistant with Bard would provide.

“The vision we shared in October remains the same — to build a true AI assistant that is conversational, multimodal, and helpful,” said a Google spokesperson.

“Now, with the incredible capabilities of Gemini, we can deliver on that vision in an even more profound and meaningful way. The technology allows us to push past the limits of what we could do before (timers, alarms, weather) to help you supercharge your ideas and collaborate directly with Google AI on your phone,” the spokesperson added.

Essentially, Gemini on Android is what Assistant with Bard would have been in the first place. Gemini is still not coming to Google’s smart home devices, where Assistant will continue functioning like before. However, don’t expect to see Assistant with Bard on those devices either. Google is done with that branding for good.

Confused? So were we when we first heard about Google’s perplexing AI strategy.