Google has already started replacing Assistant with Gemini across its devices.
Google has already started replacing Assistant with Gemini across its devices.
Mar 26, 2025, 2:30 PM UTC
akrales_160517_1059_A_0113.0
akrales_160517_1059_A_0113.0
Emma Roth
Emma Roth is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.
Waze is getting rid of Google Assistant for users on iPhones, citing “ongoing difficulties” with the integration. In an update on Tuesday, Waze said it plans on replacing it with an “enhanced voice integration solution” in the future, which is most likely Gemini.
“As many of you have likely experienced, this feature [Google Assistant] has not been working as intended for over a year, and we sincerely apologize for the prolonged inconvenience,” Waze said. “Rather than simply patching a feature that has faced ongoing difficulties, we’ve decided to phase out Google Assistant on iOS starting tomorrow.”
Over the past year, many Waze users on iPhones have reported experiencing issues with giving Google Assistant voice commands. One user notes that saying “Hey Google” would open Google Assistant, but it wouldn’t detect their voice.
Google Assistant for Waze on Android phones will continue to work — but the question is for how long. Earlier this month, Google announced plans to transition more users from Google Assistant to Gemini, adding that Assistant “will no longer be accessible on most mobile devices or available for new downloads on mobile app stores” starting “later this year.”
Waze has already begun testing conversational reporting with Gemini, allowing users to report incidents while speaking naturally.
Most Popular