Gemini for Android Auto is rolling out more widely, but not everyone is happy about it

Ben Schoon | Apr 2 2026 - 9:45 am PT

Months after it was first announced, Google appears to have opened the floodgates for Gemini on Android Auto, with a number of users reporting that, suddenly, the new voice assistant has arrived in their cars.

Google first announced that Gemini would be replacing Assistant on Android Auto the better part of a year ago, with the rollout beginning in November 2025. But it’s been heading to users at an absolutely glacial pace in the time since – which Google itself hinted would be the case.

Just last week, we polled the 9to5Google audience about whether Gemini had arrived in their cars yet, and over 90% of the 3,000~ total respondents said that they still didn’t have the feature yet.

That appears to be changing now.

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Over the past few hours, a growing number of reports have popped up of Android Auto users suddenly seeing Gemini go live in their vehicles. We’ve seen quite a few reports on Twitter/X, and there were enough on Reddit to where the r/AndroidAuto community decided to just make a central thread on the topic, which itself has a growing number of reports from users who saw the feature go live just today. Basically, insert the “it’s happening” GIF of your choice right here.

That said, initial reactions aren’t super positive. Some early comments on that Reddit thread mention problems where Gemini can’t pick between two identical locations, where Gemini stops listening early, and another user notes that Gemini on Android Auto is “slightly ditzy.”

Someone else called Gemini “the worst thing to happen to Android Auto.”

We’ve been using Gemini on Android Auto for months now, and we’ll readily point out problems such as the inability for Gemini to recognize when you’ve completed a task using the touchscreen, with the assistant still talking and expecting a response from you to finish the original prompt. Gemini on Android Auto is often a bit overly talkative too, often adding more information unprompted. Personally, I’m mixed on the actual voice assistant, but still pretty happy to have Gemini Live access behind the wheel.

Early users of Gemini on Android Auto seemed to either love or hate the update in the wake of a crumbling Assistant, and it doesn’t seem as though that’s changed – a shame given how promising it seemed initially.

Still, it’s finally here. What do you think of the change? Have you seen Gemini arrive on Android Auto in your car? If you’re not sure if you have Gemini, you can simply ask “who are you” and the voice assistant will reply to confirm.